1. C.O.P.E.
Comprehensive Overdose
Prevention Education

2. What is an overdose?

3. Things you can do to prevent
overdosing.
1) Avoid mixing drugs 7) Beware of tar and powder
2) Test the dope strength differences
3) Do test shots 8) Stay cool and hydrated
4) Prepare your own drugs when using stimulants
5) Learn to hit yourself if you
don’t know how 9) Avoid using alone or when
6) Use caution when you are in a your sick
new city, using a different 10) Have a plan
brand, or copping from a new
dealer

4. AVOID MIXING DRUGS

5. BEWARE OF DECREASED
TOLERENCE

6. BEWARE OF YOUR DRUG’S
QUALITY
Strength varies from batch to batch, from
dealer to dealer, from city to city. The plain
truth is that when copping on the street you
never really know what your going to get.

7. USE CAUTION WHEN
YOU’RE SICK
When your body is
already weak it
has a decreased
ability to cope
with intoxication.

8. AVOID USING ALONE

9. RECOGNIZING AN OVERDOSE
1) UNCONSIOUSNESS
2) BLUE SKIN, especially their lips
3)Not breathing or shallow or
irregular breathing
4) Slow, quiet or no pulse at all
5)Choking, snoring,or gurgling sounds
6) Lying in their own vomit

10. LETS TALK ABOUT
PREVENTION MYTHS

11. SOME COMMON
PREVENTION MYTHS
Myth 1- Walking people Myth 5- Injecting
around helps. people with salt
water is an antidote.
Myth 2- Putting people in
cold baths wakes them
up.
Myth 3 - Hurting, hitting or
burning can bring them
out of an overdose.
Myth 4 – Injecting cocaine
will wake them right up.

12. WHAT SHOULD REALLY BE
DONE…
FIRST:

13. TRY TO STIMULATE THE
VICTIM BY:
SHOUTING THEIR NAME
PINCHING THEIR EARLOBES
AND/OR
RUBBING YOUR KNUCKLES IN
THE CENTER OF THEIR STERNUM
AGGRESIVELY

14. PERFORMING
RESCUE
BREATHING:

15. Before performing
rescue breathing…
1) Open his/her mouth to clear their airway
2) Sweep a finger inside their mouth to remove
anything you see from gum to vomit (wearing a
glove is ideal)
3) Once the mouth is cleared place your head next to
their nose and mouth
4) LISTEN for breathing, snoring, gurgling or
wheezing
5) LOOK at the chest to see if it is rising or falling

16. If they are breathing slowly or not at all
BEGIN RESCUE BREATHING
Use the head-tilt chin lift method to open the
airway as illustrated

17. FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO
RESCUE BREATHING
1)Put one hand under the 4) Place the barrier over
neck and lift up the mouth
2) Place fingers of the 5) Pinch the nose
other hand on forehead 6) Take a deep breath
and tilt the head back 7) Cover the mouth with
3) Tilt the head back yours
without closing the 8) Establish a tight seal
mouth
(mouth to mouth)

18. Steps to rescue breathing
continued…
9) Give two slow breaths 11) Count to 4 between
10) Blow enough air in breaths ( one-one thousand,
the mouth to make two-one thousand, three-
sure that the chest one thousand, four-one
rises. If the chest does thousand )
not rise, gently tilt the 12) Breath again
head further back and
try again

19. Continue rescue breathing until:
• The person starts breathing on their own
• An ambulance arrives
• Someone can take over

20. If all goes well
You Just saved
someone’s life

21. The recovery
position