Casbah hosts life-saving naloxone training Monday
Event organized to help prevent fatal overdoses in the nightclub and music industries
ACE PIVA
WANTS to save lives. The Hamilton-based musician and tour manager spent 20 years touring and saw first-hand the damage that can be caused by drugs and alcohol.
“I’ve had at least a dozen friends die on the road from substance abuse,” he says. His experiences led him to become a certified addiction counsellor and co-founder of Over the Bridge, a not-for-profit organization based in Hamilton that offers mental health and addiction support to those in the music industry.
This Monday, Over the Bridge along with Marchese Health Care will host a naloxone training session at The Casbah nightclub geared to those in the music industry. Each participant will receive two naloxone kits and training on noticing the signs of an overdose and administering naloxone.
Earlier this month, Piva did naloxone training with Fleetwood Mac’s road crew. He also helped train the crew for the Toronto stop of the Vans Warped Tour.
Piva says musicians, road crew, security staff and bartenders are often the first responders to an opioid overdose at clubs and concerts.
And time is of the essence. Naloxone is a rescue medicine that blocks the effects of opioids for 30 to 90 minutes but must be administered within minutes of an overdose. It allows breathing to resume long enough for the patient to be treated by a health professional.
The stereotype of the hard-living musician is often glamorized. Piva says there is nothing glamorous about being an addict.
Piva himself experienced the pressure of being on the road and says many turn to drugs as a way to cope rather than an attempt to live up to some archetype.
Whatever one’s path to becoming an addict, Piva is not one to judge.
“No one says, ‘I want to be a drug addict.’ But if we can save a couple of people’s lives and give them the chance to turn their lives around, we’re better for it,” he adds.
“Learn to Save a Life in the Clubs” takes place Mon. Nov. 26 at 8 p.m. in the main hall at The Casbah. While it’s geared to those in the music industry and club scene, members of the public are welcome. Admission is free. Bring your health card to receive your free naloxone kit. Space is limited so advance registration recommended.
Over the Bridge’s website can be found at overthebridge.org.