‘Strip the Shame:’ Overdose Lifeline campaign promotes fentanyl test strips

Deaths continue to pile up.

Fentanyl has ravaged the United States, emerging as the primary force behind overdose deaths throughout the country. In 2022, the synthetic opioid caused 73,838 overdose deaths — more than stimulants such as cocaine or psychostimulants such as methamphetamine combined, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The drug has increasingly been found in all kinds of other substances, and those who succumb to it often have no idea they’ve ingested it.

“Especially in this climate of overdose, we know people are taking substances they don’t think they’ll overdose on. So we have to give them all of the tools in the toolbox,” said Justin Phillips, founder of Overdose Lifeline, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit aimed at helping individuals, families, and communities affected by substance use disorder.

To stem the deadly tide, Overdose Lifeline has launched a new campaign aimed at getting a vital tool into the hands of people who need them. Strip the Shame was launched earlier this year to make people more aware of fentanyl test strips, specially manufactured strips that indicate the presence of fentanyl in other substances.

Overdose Lifeline makes those available for free. But first, they have to overcome the stigma that continues to drag down efforts to save lives.

“Too many people are dying from overdose directly related to fentanyl. People are hesitant to accept that we should be testing any and all substance, and we still have some misconception about the legality,” Phillips said.

The statistics are nightmarish. In 2023, DEA seized more than 80 million fentanyl-laced fake pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder. The 2023 seizures are equivalent to more than 390 million lethal doses of fentanyl.

Of the prescription pills seized by the agency and tested for fentanyl, 70% contained a lethal dose of fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid created to treat severe pain. The substance can be 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, making even a small amount capable of causing a deadly overdose.

The insidiousness is in how it has found its way into the market for illicit prescription drugs. Often, it is pressed into pills to look almost identical to drugs such as Xanax, Oxycodone and Adderall.

The loss of life has been staggering. In Indiana, 2,682 fatal overdoses were reported in 2022. For four years in a row, drug-related deaths remained the main cause of death in Marion County, according to the county coroner’s office.

Overdose Lifeline has worked for the past 10 years to reduce those deaths. Phillips formed Overdose Lifeline in 2014, after the death of her youngest son, Aaron, due to a heroin overdose. Her aim was to create a non-profit dedicated to helping individuals, families, and communities affected by substance use disorder through advocacy, education and support.

Early on, she saw a need to address overdoses, particularly those caused by opioids. At the center of their work has been training people to use, educating people about and improving access to naloxone, better known as Narcan. The lifesaving drug reverses opioid overdoses and has increasingly been used by law enforcement officers, paramedics, health officials and local residents.

Through Overdose Lifeline’s efforts, hundreds of NaloxBoxes, containing the reversal drugs, have been mounted throughout Indiana.

But Overdose Lifeline’s focus extends well beyond Narcan. The organization has provided trainings and educational courses, both in-person and online, to groups from Canada to Florida to Alaska. They’ve partnered with other organizations to offer grief support services.

Increasingly, they’ve focused on distributing fentanyl strips in Indiana and throughout the county.

Their efforts are part of an overall philosophy of harm reduction. Harm reduction is a set of practical strategies aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use. The compassion at the core of harm reduction meets people where they are on their journey and promotes safety, according to the Strip the Shame website.

“We can’t expect people to go straight to abstinence. Harm reduction is a public health approach that we know is effective and necessary,” Phillips said.

Through that, Overdose Lifeline created Strip the Shame. The campaign is aimed at people age 18 to 34, which are the most at-risk to overdose deaths, particularly from fentanyl. A special portal on the organization’s website takes people to information about fentanyl, test strips and resources to request free strips in Indiana. For those from other states, they can find information about getting the strips through national resources.

“The idea is to make sure that we reduce the judgement around harm reduction approaches and help people understand that access to fentanyl test strips are a way to save lives,” Phillips said.

Overdose Lifeline also partnered with a group of social media influencers, such as Rachel Elizabeth Slocum and Curly Vasquez. Those influencers use their own stories, including recovery journeys, to amplify the Strip the Shame message and resources.

“I’ve been on both sides of addiction, and almost lost my own life to a fentanyl overdose, which is why I am a huge supporter of fentanyl test strips. Harm reduction tools like these are crucial in keeping us safe. I frequently wonder how many of my friend’s lives could have been saved if test strips were free and accessible years ago. Be safe, be smart, test your stuff,” said Slocum on the Strip the Shame website.

The public service announcements are reaching the intended audiences, even if there have been setbacks. In August, Facebook removed some of the posts due to violation of terms, determining the posts were inappropriate. Organizers have tried to have the messages reinstated, but so far have been stymied, Phillips said.

That makes it all the more essential to spread the Strip the Shame message any way they can.

“It’s been really good from the audience we were trying to reach. We increased our requests for fentanyl test strips, we increased views, we reached a lot of people,” Phillips said.

AT A GLANCE

Strip the Shame

What: A public service announcement campaign aimed at making people more aware of the dangers of fentanyl and the benefits of fentanyl test strips, specially manufactured paper strips that indicate the presence of fentanyl in other substances. People can order free strips in Indiana, and learn about other resources to help.

Who: Overdose Lifeline, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit aimed at helping individuals, families, and communities affected by substance use disorder.

Where to find it: overdoselifeline.org/strip-the-shame