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The charity offers training to help save the lives of people who have overdosed on opioids, including heroin.

It is believed that Guildford Action is the first non-clinical location in the UK to provide naloxone alongside a needle exchange service.

The team has also started training people working in homelessness services on how to use naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an overdose.

According to government data, 82 people died from drug abuse in Surrey between 2020 and 2022.

Naloxone can be administered as an injection or nasal spray, and people who have been trained can carry it with them to use in an emergency.

Jo Caesar, Operations Director at Guildford Action, runs the training courses and is keen to train as many people as possible to save lives.

She said: “It is very important to educate people about the fact that there is a lot of stigma around possible opioid abuse and the need for an important tool like naloxone that can help with opioid overdose.

“It is very easy to use and it is very important to know how to use it to be able to save someone’s life.”

Ms. Caesar said that “absolutely anyone and everyone” can learn how to use naloxone.

Opioids include drugs such as codeine and Oramorph, which contains the strong painkiller morphine, as well as heroin and synthetic opioids.

Ms. Caesar sought to dispel myths about opioid use and noted that drugs that can be given as painkillers can be highly addictive.

She said: “Any of us can know someone who uses opioids, so I’m happy to talk to anyone about it and share my knowledge.”

During the training, participants will learn how to recognize the signs of an overdose, as well as practice giving an orange injection and using a nasal spray.

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