Editor鈥檚 note: The names of the family members in this article have been changed for privacy reasons.

***

Thirty-five-year-old John is on the road to recovery. He鈥檚 been sober for seven months now, has changed careers and is focusing on his health.

It wasn鈥檛 always like that though. There was a time when all he could focus on was getting high. Then came the night he almost died in November of 2020.

John was living with his parents at the time 鈥� a time his mom, Kate, describes as 鈥渃haotic.鈥�

鈥淗e had nowhere to live and we just thought, 鈥榃e鈥檝e got to do something,鈥� but we were thrown into this with little or no knowledge on drugs and what to do with someone who is addicted, but we just knew if we could give him somewhere safe.鈥�

On that fateful November night, Kate and her husband overheard very strange breathing sounds coming from John鈥檚 room. They checked on John and tried to wake him up, to no avail.

They called 911 and stayed on the line while they waited for paramedics to arrive while their son was turning blue.

鈥淭he lady from 911 was awesome,鈥� said Kate. 鈥淪he stayed on the line and did what she could to help, but we thought we were losing him.鈥�

Once paramedics arrived and took over, they pointed out the paraphernalia consistent with opioid use, and began the naloxone process.

鈥淭hey gave him five doses,鈥� said Kate. 鈥淭hey said at the time that was the most they had ever given anyone who hasn鈥檛 died. The fifth dose brought him back. He woke up like nothing had happened.鈥�

John said it started as a typical night for him.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 remember too much, but it was a paycheque weekend, so I was partying by myself 鈥� that鈥檚 how I liked to do it; I didn鈥檛 like being around others,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 would mix cocaine with the heroin/fentanyl鈥�. Usually, you just go to sleep, and you wake up a couple of hours later and you鈥檙e fine. But this night I wasn鈥檛.鈥�

John knows that the paramedics saved his life.

鈥淚 do remember the paramedic, the one guy especially. I just remember, he just wouldn鈥檛 give up on me, and I am so thankful. He was a younger guy 鈥� probably younger than me 鈥� but he had a big heart, and if it wasn鈥檛 for him, I would have lost my life.鈥�

鈥淭he paramedics were so professional,鈥� added Kate. 鈥淭hey made no judgment, they just did their job and helped him.鈥�

Paramedics urged John to go to the hospital, which he did. A couple of hours after being admitted, he had a heart attack.

鈥淭hat (the five doses) was the reason they thought he should go in (to the hospital) because they had never given that much to anyone before and they were worried about his health,鈥� said Kate.

John signed himself out of the hospital the next day, against the doctors鈥� wishes.

鈥淏ut not before they gave him their two cents鈥� worth on how much risk he had put himself under by doing the drugs,鈥� said Kate. 鈥淗e was doing fentanyl and carfentanil by that time. I think it scared him because he stayed away from it after that.鈥�

John said although he had naloxone injections before, this one rattled him.

鈥淚 can count maybe 10 times I had to be 鈥楴arcaned鈥� and resuscitated back, but the one in November 2020 was the biggest, scariest one, especially because I was with my parents, my mom, under her roof when it happened,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here were others, but I believe that one, my heart stopped. 鈥�

Familiar path to dependency

John鈥檚 spiral into opioid dependency is a familiar tale.

He was in a bad car accident many years ago, and the drugs he was given for pain relief became a necessary part of his life.

鈥淗e was critically injured and in hospital with pretty much every bone broken below his head,鈥� said Kate. 鈥淪o they started him on all kinds of medication then. He was in the hospital for about three months and then in a wheelchair for another six months after that. With the whole privacy thing I was not privy to all the drugs he was on, but I did notice (changes). I couldn鈥檛 tell if it was because of how much pain he was in, or if it was the drugs talking, but his personality - that friendly, happy kid that I knew - that was gone. The pain, and the drugs, had taken over.鈥�

鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I had painkillers for the first time and I kind of liked the feeling, but I didn鈥檛 start (with the heavier drugs) until a little after that,鈥� said John. 鈥淚 was offered OxyContin and after a while, it just went into a full-blown heroin addiction, fentanyl addiction.鈥�

He said that for the first while, he was able to limit his use to weekends.

鈥淚 was trying to use and still have a normal lifestyle, going to work and things like that,鈥� said John. 鈥淏ut then it got to the point that I was using at work, too.鈥�

John would use for a few days, go through a self-detox, then go back to the drugs.

鈥淚t was always a cycle of going back to it, then detoxing鈥� the detoxing was terrible. Everything that you go through by detoxing is awful. But then after a week passed, for me, personally, I would forget about the harshness of the detox and convince myself to go back to the drugs 鈥� After a short span of that actually working, it wasn鈥檛 like that anymore.鈥�

Eventually, the high took over John鈥檚 life.

鈥淚 ended up being homeless, and that was the only thing that mattered, was the drug.鈥�

Recovering

John had a relapse shortly after release from the hospital, then checked into a rehab program. He has been sober now for seven months.

鈥淭he challenges are always there,鈥� said John. 鈥淭here are times when I think throw caution to the wind and get back into it, what does it really matter? So I have to snap myself out of it and think about now 鈥� being sober at that moment; go to sleep sober. It鈥檚 not been easy, but I have to accept that I have made that decision that I can鈥檛 ever do it again, for any reason. It鈥檚 such a slippery, dangerous slope. I know I can鈥檛 just do it once, or I will be right back at it.鈥�

鈥淗e knows what his triggers are, and he鈥檚 staying away from all that,鈥� said Kate. 鈥淗e was in construction, which was a big trigger. So he got out of that and is doing something totally different now.鈥�

John said the support he has received from his family keeps him going in the tough times.

鈥淭hey make me so proud. They haven鈥檛 given up on me, so I am not going to give up on myself.鈥�

The emotion he feels for his family now is something that was not there when he was in the grips of dependency. But John looks back on that night in November, 2020 as a turning point in his life.

鈥淭hat night especially kind of hits me,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I bring it up, I shed a tear, just knowing how my mom must have felt, seeing them use Narcan after Narcan kit and I鈥檓 laying there, dead, in front of her. That鈥檚 something I don鈥檛 want my mom, or anyone that is close to me to ever go through again.鈥�

As for Kate, she said Nar-Anon has been a godsend to her.

鈥淭hat is what helped me survive,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 still go to meetings. You don鈥檛 have anyone else you can talk to about this. Your normal friends don鈥檛 want to hear about it. But there you can talk about everything going on, and get the help you need.鈥�

Watch for signs

Kate said if there is one piece of advice she could pass along to parents, it鈥檚 to watch for certain telltale signs.

鈥淔or me, it was recognizing when they start losing interest in things that they always loved to do. The sports stopped. My son was an incredible artist. He stopped drawing; he stopped all of that. And his friends changed totally too.

鈥淲hen they stop seeing their old friends, good friends, and shadier friends start coming around鈥� that鈥檚 when I noticed the difference.鈥�

Island Health offers many options and services for those seeking assistance with their dependency issues. Visit for more information.

terry.farrell@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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