Parents and children in West Alabama are warned about the dangers of an overdose

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama (WBRC) – It's no longer enough to simply say “no” to drugs. Experts are warning parents what to do if their child is using drugs.

People concerned about drug overdoses among children recently met at Shelby Park in Tuscaloosa to talk not only about avoiding these dangers, but also what to do if someone suffers an opioid overdose.

Project Freedom, a group affiliated with the University of Alabama, also provides training and education for first responders related to the opioid crisis.

An opioid overdose education program was organized for parents and their children to give them the knowledge and tools they need to help people who have overdosed.

The Alabama Department of Mental Health provided Project Freedom with naloxone kits, which it distributed free of charge to event attendees.

“We can talk to them about it and give them these kits in case something happens in their community or their household to prevent that,” said Wendi Hogue of Project Freedom. “So if we educate them that their children are not choosing to use fentanyl, an opiate, they're just a lot of things that people don't even know they're taking anymore. They're compound drugs that people don't know about and they can be deadly.”

Project Freedom offers free information and naloxone kits on its website. VitalAlabama.com.

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