NARCAN/Naloxone Distribution Programs SAVE LIVES!

   Every opiate user, whether hardened addict or recreational "chipper" should be educated of the risks involved with using their drug of choice, including that of overdose. Those of us in "the life" long enough will undoubtedly be touched personally by it, if not numerous times, and quite often with tragic results. 
    Over the years I have heard some pretty absurd junkie-tales regarding how to respond to an OD--from cold showers to forcefeeding milk and even sticking icecubes up the ass..*facepalm*
If you have ever had the misfortune of calling EMS for someone else you most likely witnessed at least some of the process of reviving the patient; from intubation to induction of the powerful opiate antagonist naloxone. If you, yourself made the mistake of underestimating potency and found yourself on the gurney you surely remember the feeling of waking up in a violent state of post-acute withdrawal. Shitty, eh? (Not as shitty as dead, however..)
    Recently, programs have been popping up in cities across the US and Canada that offer take-home emergency Narcan kits free to users already accessing services such as needle exchanges and methadone clinics without a prescription. These kits include either single use ampules for IM administration or in preloaded nasal spray dispensers.


Check out this link to see if there is a site/service near you!
 http://stopoverdose.org/faq.htm

This has been a Harm Reduction post.
(Thanks to the commenter who suggested it!)  

Post-Sandy Sundries..Pain-in-Ass or Business-as-Usual?

Greetings dear readers,
I hope you are all safe and sound from the terrible storm last week. I lead a pretty quiet life far away out here in the crimson shadow of a "red" state.. I haven't the company of a boob tube for some time so I'm pretty poor at paying attention to the news. When I finally looked up "Sandy" images online I was SHOCKED to say the least. I lived in the East Village during 9/11..watched it all happen from my roof. New Yorkers pulled together pretty miraculously back then..Looking back it was rather inspirational and made me pretty proud to be there and a part of that community.

But this storm is a whole different kind of mess, eh?
The city as a whole was a very different place in 2001.
There were still real people living in the neighborhoods..folks with nowhere else to go.

KRATOM (Mitragyna speciosa)

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a medicinal leaf harvested from large trees native to southeast Asia.

They contain many natural, medicinal alkaloids, including some which react with mu-opiod receptors, giving the herb numerous positive, therapeutic effects including aiding depression, fatigue, and from increasing studies, assistance with opiate dependence. 

Murple and wikipedia articles can be found here and there.

I began experimenting with Kratom about 3 months ago as I was tapering off a year of buprenorphine maintenance and still struggling with post acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS). I've found it, personally, to be almost a miracle herb in this process and have been eager to spread the word about this natural, legal alternative.

To an opiod dependent/tolerant person the effects of Kratom will be different/diminished compared to someone who is naive, but there are still many benefits to be found to those of us who are actively reducing intake of full agonist opiates, or at the tail end of tapering off a maintenance program such as suboxone or methadone. You will want to be pretty damn close to clean to reap the highest benefits of Kratom but for the long haul this herb has helped immensely with the lingering phases of w/d, particularly with the fatigue, dysphoria, and chills.

Many online retailers of Kratom and its extracts can be found through a simple google search. Some sellers tout "stronger" extracts and tinctures.. I have not tried these so I can't vouch for their potency but I generally shy away from gimmicky "head shop" products in general. 

I have been using plain powdered leaf from a great company called MuSynergetics; having about a tablespoon (approx. 10g) of it in the morning in a cup of tea or mixed into some yogurt or applesauce. It has a mild, yet definitely noticeable effect of a clean energy and mood boost, and it really helps with curbing cravings and preoccupation with other 'addictive tendencies'. I'm not affiliated with Mu in anyway but have simply found their product in particular to be consistent and of high quality at an extremely fair price. 

I must stress that to someone with a large habit, or if you are looking to get "high" Kratom will NOT satisfy "that itch" by any means. But if you are a recreational opiate user or are struggling with the end of a taper this herb can be a great reprieve from the traditional western options that are most regularly available to us. Kratom can also have its own minor habit forming properties but to someone conditioned to dealing with a full agonist opiate dependence it really is nothing in comparison.. Personally, I have not noticed any issues with this so far (although I try to dose only every other day to be safe..)

Please feel free to leave any thoughts or questions in the comments here, or drop me a line and I would be happy to expand on any musings by this topic.

This has been a Harm Reduction post.

Stay well Jynxies, and remember you ARE in control of your health and happiness!