OttaTalk

How can we Party Safer, Ottawa?

• City of Ottawa • Season 2 • Episode 4

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Today, we sit down with Ottawa Public Health to talk about partying safely – and why it’s so important. Whether you’re dancing at the club or grilling at a backyard bash, look out for yourself and others. 

On the latest episode of OttaTalk, Public Health Nurses Élisabeth Bélanger Hardy and Megan Francoeur share the tips that everyone should know before, during, and after a night out, party or event. 

Listen now to learn more about partying safer and the supports available for you, your friends and family: 

Links for this episode are: 

OttaTalk is the official City of Ottawa podcast, where City staff talk about programs, projects and initiatives that affect your everyday life. How can I prevent fires in my home? What are we doing to solve homelessness? How are movies filmed in Ottawa? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. 

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Tell us what you think about this podcast and share your ideas for future episodes. Comment on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca. 

SPEAKER_01

Hello and welcome to Autotalk, the City of Ottawa's podcast series where we talk with staff about city programs, projects, and initiatives. Today we talk with the Addictions and Substance Use Health Team at Ottawa Public Health about safe partying habits. So these are tips for you, our fellow partyer, or for you to share with the partygoer in your life. So let's all learn how to party safer, Ottawa. Our theme song today is Can't Get Enough by the Lionels. We begin and end every podcast with a local artist featured on the City Sounds playlist featured on SoundCloud. You can find a link to our playlist in our show notes, and you will hear more at the end of our podcast. It's one more reason to stay until the end. So hello, my name is Shirley Mann, and I work in the Public Works Department. And I happen to love partying, so I'm really looking forward to talking to our guests today. With us today, we've got Megan Franca. Megan is a registered nurse on Ottawa Public Health Addictions and Substance Use Health Team. With a background in sexual health and harm reduction, she leads the Party Safer Initiative and co-leads the Ottawa Post-Secondary Community of Practice. When she's not at a campus or community event, Megan is on stage as a local musician, which fuels her passion for working with youth, young adults, festival staff, and volunteers to create safer environments. Elizabeth Liz Bellanger Hardy is also a registered nurse on the Addictions and Substance Use Health Team at Ottawa Public Health. She also has experience working in mental health. She works on different portfolios, including post-secondary initiatives, online education modules, gambling, and supports the Party Safer Initiative. Outside of work, she enjoys doing sports, theater acting, and volunteering. Wow, Megan and Liz, welcome to Autotalk. Thank you so much for having us. Yeah. So Megan and Liz, in addition to being registered nurses with OPH, you are both also a part of the local performing art scene as a musician and as an actor. So how does your experience in music and theater play into your professional work?

SPEAKER_00

I think for myself, it's really nice to have two passions joining. And my experience as a local musician has really helped to inform some of the work I do with the event teams, uh, special events and different bars, venues, a lot of the groups that we get to work with, including youth and young adults. Um, so it's it's really nice uh to kind of know where it's coming from. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Similarly to Megan, uh, for me, theater, I develop so many different skills. Um, and so it really helps me in the context of events with like youth and young people, like festivals, community events, workshops, and relating to them and being part of the conversation. And of course, theater helps with public speech. So that's a big plus.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, excellent. Okay. Well, we're happy to have you both. So this podcast is about party safer. Can you tell us what is the Party Safer initiative and what does it involve?

SPEAKER_00

It's really for those moments, you know, you mentioned partying, you like partying, festivals, events, maybe even nights out with friends. Uh, doing that planning before, during, and after uh to make sure everybody's having a safer experience. So it's really focused on uh substance use. We also have resources on our partysafer.ca website for mental health, safer sex, violence prevention, um, and supports for bystander intervention too. A lot of free online trainings, printable resources. I could go on, but essentially this is uh a lot of the supports we have, and then we also do a lot of outreach in the community.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. So uh we know that alcohol and drug use are common in the party settings. So our goal is really to reduce the potential risk associated with those environments. Um, and we really reinforce this idea of not to judge or shame people who uh use substances. Um, we realize that people have different experience and choices when it comes to substance use. Uh, so one of our uh responsibilities is to put out there some information that is reliable and based on the best data so people can make the best decisions for themselves. Um, the party initiative itself focuses on initiatives that prevent harms for the population. Um, and we have a lot of trainings and um workshops that are in person but also online and have a lot of like outreach components to them. Um, so we're like directly with the population that we uh seek to uh inform and help. Um, and also, of course, uh the Party Safer Initiative is for everyone, not just people who use Substance Use. So it's for family, friends, community members, night event workers. So it's really something that's for this community at large.

SPEAKER_01

Wow. I did not know about this beforehand, so it's great to know there's so many resources out there. Um, you spoke a little bit about sort of your audience for the Party Safer initiative. Um, can you talk to us about some of those target groups? You both work with youth, for example. So, why is it important for you to work with youth and and young adults? Um, and what's what's Ottawa Public Health doing to reach them?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, youth and young adults are definitely a key audience. And we just passed uh prom season. Yes. Um not just proms, but uh a lot of partying too, and in the summer, uh lots of different events going on. And we know that uh the brain continues to develop to develop, sorry, um, into the mid-20s. So it's a really important time to get these messages about safer partying out because it's those parts of the brain that are developing are directly related to risk taking, impulse control, and decision making. Um we also know that a lot of young people face a lot of social pressures when it comes to drugs, uh partying, and just fitting in with their group. Um so that's just a couple of examples of why it's so important for us to reach them. And I think also having open conversations, um, some tips that we like to share with parents is uh, you know, being open, non-judgmental. If you want to have a conversation to maybe choose an area, a space that is uh quieter, calm, and both people feel safe, and then um just being supportive and uh and listening. Yeah. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02

So as you can imagine, we do a lot to get party safer messaging out there to youth and young adults. Um, one of the things we do is that we work alongside school teams. Uh, so we provide a lot of information, a lot of educational um tools that can be found on the platform. It's called School Health Online. Um, and we are also regularly on campuses of universities and colleges to meet students where they are at. Uh, we also have like workshops and training sessions for staff, but also students. Um, and through the year, like Megan said, we attend like many events like festivals, neighborhood activities, um, you know, stuff like that for the young folks. Um, and so we answer any questions they may have related to substance use. And we also um uh do some outreach with our post-secondary uh groups uh through our community of practice. So we provide tools, information to support students' well-being and mental health as well.

SPEAKER_01

Wow. You are working so hard to get these messages out. There's so many different avenues that you're you're using as well. What would you say is the biggest challenge or barrier your team has faced in getting these messages out?

SPEAKER_00

I think one of the biggest barriers is stigma. Um, stigma continues to be a barrier for people who use substances. Um, it can make it harder to want to reach out for help, whether that's from a healthcare provider or even just talking to your own friends and family about substance use. Um and people, you know, it's common to think that maybe, oh, this type of messaging might not apply to me because I don't use substances, or oh, my kids don't do that. Or we hear that type of thing a lot. But even if you don't yourself, I think it's really important to learn a little bit about the Party Safer Initiative and some of these tips, do the trainings and that uh that type of outreach that we're doing with the public too. Um, because uh everybody in the community can support. Um even if you're not using, uh, you can play a big role in potentially saving someone else's life or or supporting them when they need it.

SPEAKER_02

What a great message. Yeah, absolutely. Before jumping in, I just wanted to add something for the previous question. Um, social media is also a big channel through which we communicate and interact with youth because that's where a lot of the conversation, the pressures, and um a lot of messaging around substance use is present. So we want to be in that space uh to get our messages out uh related to health promotion and prevention. Um, but in the to answer your question about the challenges, so one of them is that uh reducing risk and harm is often associated with like substance use health, when in fact uh it's something that we do in our daily lives and so many other spheres. So we like to remind people of that. Um, because when we think of like road safety, for example, you know, we put our seatbelts on, we put our helmet if we're biking or scootering and we look both ways. So basically, the party safer tips are the same thing, but just in the context of substance use. So we just like to remind folks of that. And um, our team has been working on a public health campaign called Um Have That Talk About Substance Use Health. It's a big campaign that we have. We have a lot of information on our webpage about that. Um, we you can also see the spectrum of substance use on that page. Um, so we recognize that people use substances for so many different reasons, uh, whether it be like beneficial, lower risk, or if they have like a they're medically diagnosed with a substance use disorder. Um, what's really important is to remember that um wellness is achievable wherever you are on that spectrum. So you want to be mindful of that and inclusive.

SPEAKER_01

What a great metaphor to comparing this to road safety and all the things that we do to keep ourselves safe in other situations. So why not think about this in the same way? Absolutely. Yeah, I love that. Speaking of socials and websites, so there is a website, partysafer.ca, and that has a bunch of safer substance use tips. What do you think are, I don't know, like the top two or three tips that you think are the most important for people who are going out, partying, heading to festivals or camping or to the cottage?

SPEAKER_00

I like the party safer tip that is start low, go slow, and drink water. Uh the reason I like it so much is because it can be applied to any substance, no matter what somebody might be using. Starting slow is really a way to test your tolerance. Uh, tolerance can be built up over time and our body's ability to handle the effects of a substance. Um, and it's really important to do that test or try a small amount first and go slow, um, especially if you're using something from an unregulated supply, or if it's your first time using it, or you haven't used it in a while. So taking small amounts, waiting and seeing how something affects you is really helpful because what affects me, it might affect you differently.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's right. What about you, Liz? What are your tips?

SPEAKER_02

Yes, so I'd like to take the time to offer a tip for people who choose not to use substances or know someone who decides not to use substances. Um, we really advocate for this idea that we have to respect everyone's choices when it comes to substance use and not making people feel guilty if they don't feel comfortable using uh whatever the reason may be. So um uh we know that social saying no under pressure can be difficult. So we want to offer some strategies um to say no. So, for example, you can have an answer prepared to tell your friend, like, oh, this is why I don't want to use a substance tonight, or you can use humor, or you can change the conversation. There are so many alternatives these days to to alcohol. You can have like uh soft drinks, you can have uh 0% alcohol drinks, uh, so just to be comfortable using what you feel comfortable with. Um, and last thing is that in the context of saying no under pressure, we think it's important to talk about consent, especially in the party settings, um, sexual activities can occur. So we think it's a great time to talk about this idea that consent is um something that's you're willing to do uh with enthusiasm. Um, and so it's important to ask before uh having sexual relations with someone. Um, and this idea that your consent can be removed at any time. It's really important and we want to get that messaging out. And we encourage those who want to learn more about informed consent to consult the Government of Canada's webpage because they have a lot of information on that.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, what a great tie-in to make sure that consent is also a part of this conversation. Okay, so we're talking about overall reducing risk related to substance use. And I've heard people use this term on the nod. What does that mean? Um, help help us in the audience understand what that means and and what the signs of that might be.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, on the nod refers to uh intoxication. And it's really important to know that signs of intoxication can look a lot different than signs of an overdose. Um, and someone who's intoxicated can very quickly, it can turn into an overdose very quickly. So important to you know always be aware of that and be monitoring that. Um signs of intoxication might be that the person's muscles are relaxed, their head is on the knots, of nodding forward. Um, they might be very sleepy, their speech might be a little slurred or slow, but it's important to know that they're uh likely going to wake up if you try to get a response. So if you try to shake it, shout, hey, hey, hey, wake up, can you hear me? They'll respond and usually can also walk around. Whereas in an overdose situation, the person's likely not going to be able to respond to that shake and shout. Liz, do you want to talk a little bit about the signs of overdose for people?

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely. So um there this overdose can be very different depending on the substance that was used. If it's a stimulant like cocaine or MDMA, it'll be very different than if it's a depressor, like alcohol or an opioid. So um, we'll go a little bit more in detail on the signs and symptoms. Um, so the first ones are related to breathing. So the breathing will be very slow, irregular, or there'll be no breathing at all. You can also hear like gurgling sounds, like snoring sounds. Um, the body will become limp, the person is not responsive to shake and shouting, um, the skin would be cold and clammy, and the pupils would be very, very small. Um, so we recognize that some of these signs and symptoms can be difficult to identify, like for example, the change in the color of the nails or the lips that can be blue or gray. If the person is wearing nail polish, uh you might not see it, or if they're wearing fake nails. Um, and if their eyes are closed or rolled at the back of their head, obviously you can't see the pupil. So, in those circumstances, you'll look for the other symptoms that we talked about. Um, we like to remind people that uh when you're carrying Nalex on, you can follow the five instructions steps to respond to an opiate overdose. Um, these instructions are both in French and in English, and on our website, we have them in multiple other languages as well. And obviously, an important step is to always call 911 because an overdose is a medical emergency. And we'll talk a little bit about that, why it's important to call 911. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Just to add to that, I think just even if you're not sure, you're like, oh, this might be intoxication, when in doubt, just call 911 uh for that support. Uh, you're never in the wrong for doing that. It's a great first step.

SPEAKER_01

That's an excellent tip. Yeah, thank you. Thank you for these descriptors as well. So I see, I see that the two of you have brought naloxone kits. Um, so let's let's talk about that a little bit. Um, can you show us what they look like and show us what's inside and how they work?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so I'm holding uh a nasal spray naloxone kit, and Liz has the injectable, the injection for a muscle over there. Inside each kit, uh for this one, there are two nasal sprays. Really easy to use. And what's really nice is in Ontario, they're free uh in a lot of places like pharmacies, community centers, and you can find where to get them at stopoverdoseautua.ca. Um, Liz mentioned that they come with five-step instruction sheets. So, right in there, if you forget what to do, you've got the French and English here. You've also got gloves and a mask for CPR or breathing, rescue breathing. Um, and then also important to know that there's an expiration date, so keep an eye on that. And then when it comes to storing an aloxone kit, we recommend trying not to leave it in your car, glove compartment where it can freeze or get really hot. Um, it's better to keep it accessible, so maybe in a purse or a bag with you. Um, and then when you go home to bring it back inside to room temperature. Um, an aloxone is a medication that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Uh so it's not a cure, but it does work pretty fast and hopefully helps someone to breathe within two to five minutes. Uh, but it can only last up to two hours. So that's why it's so important to get that support um from you know for the first aid, like paramedics, or if you're at a festival or an event, there's often paramedics on site or first aid on site, and then if you're out in the community to call 911.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, that's great. Thank you. Liz, can you show us what's in your naloxone kit?

SPEAKER_02

So mine is a little bit different because it's an intramuscular injection. So you'll have like a pretty big needle here that you put in the m in the muscle, either the arm or the thigh. And the medication itself is in an ampool like this, and it's glass. So you gotta be careful when you open this, uh, just not to cut yourself. And the rest is is pretty much the same. I have a barrier mask for rescue breathing, and I also have uh gloves in case um sometimes the there is puke. And so it's important to put the person in a recovery position so so that they don't choke on it. And if you feel comfortable, you can put on a glove and remove it uh from their mouth. And um, yeah, the rest of the kit is pretty much the same. It's great that they come with instructions. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, even that recovery position, there's a little picture of it on the five-step pamphlet, so it's really nice.

SPEAKER_01

Can you tell us a little bit about how someone can can know when is the right time to use a naloxone kit?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so Liz mentioned some of the signs of opioid overdose. And I mean there's uh no harm in using naloxone. So yeah, if Liz, you know, if I sprayed it in my nose right now, I don't have an opioid in my system, so nothing's really gonna happen. If there was an opioid in my system, it would go onto those opioid receptors and block it and hopefully help to reverse those signs of overdose that Liz went over. Um, but like we mentioned, you're not in the wrong. If you're in doubt, call 911, carrying a loxone. Um, and if you're really unsure and not feeling comfortable using it, uh they will help guide you on the phone too.

SPEAKER_01

Oh that's that's a great thing to know. Excellent. So we've learned a lot right now about how to respond to an overdose. Um, can you talk to us a little bit about what we can do to reduce other alcohol and drug-related risks?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we've talked about tolerance. We talked about going slow and drinking water. Uh, I think another great tip is around mixing substances. It's really important to try to avoid doing that because mixing substances can amplify their effects, and the effects of a substance on me might be different than you. Some substances take longer to take effect than others. Um, and especially if you're getting drugs from the unregulated supply, um, it's really unpredictable. Um, so you want to be careful not to mix even uh unregulated uh so you want to be careful not to mix unregulated substances even with like prescription medications too. Um and then when it comes to alcohol, I think it's really important to mix having non-alcoholic drinks in between alcoholic drinks. So staying hydrated. Uh there's Canada's guidance on alcohol and health, which uh shows that one to two standard drinks per week is lower risk and no drinks per week is uh no risk. Um and some other party safer tips related to alcohol include trying to stick to the limits you set for yourself, uh, drink slowly and eat something before and uh while you're drinking or partying, and then um incorporating those non-alcoholic drinks.

SPEAKER_02

For sure. Yes. And um, if you feel comfortable, I have a question for you. Yeah. Just like that for our audience. Um, do you have an idea of where most overdoses happen? Oh, that is a great question.

SPEAKER_01

Like which setting do you think most of the if I had to guess, I'm going to I'm going to assume it doesn't happen in uh like a public like bar or or festival setting. Yeah. I don't know. I wonder if it happens in the home. Yes, absolutely. Yeah, right, okay. Yeah, super knowledgeable host.

SPEAKER_02

Um, yeah, so the data shows that most overdoses happen in private residences, uh, so in people's homes. Although obviously overdose can happen anywhere in any setting. Um, so that's why it's really important and we do so much work to tackle stigma because people sometimes feel ashamed and they use alone without any supervision, and no one knows um that they're using, so there could be an emergency and no one's there to contact them or help them. Um, so in that perspective, we really encourage people to uh use a service that's called NORS. It's the National Overdose Response Service. So this is a service that's available to all Canadians um across the country. It is free, it uh has virtual services. You can call them or text them. We're gonna put the phone number below the video for those who are interested. Um, it's 100% confidential, without judgment. Um, and so it's basically a safer consumption service that's virtual, like I said. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, excellent. Um, these you're sharing so many great tips that I feel like are good to keep in mind year-round. Um, we're actually recording this podcast and releasing it in the summer during festival season. So I'm curious if either of you or both of you have any sort of festival season specific tips for us.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, there's a lot of exciting events happening in the summer. And we also know that substance use-related risks might be a little bit different because of things like heat. Um, so the heat can definitely intensify effects of alcohol and drugs. And then we did mention stimulants earlier. Substances like MDMA and cocaine can uh increase the risk of overheating and dehydration as well. Um, so it's important to drink water and to take breaks from those activities like dancing at festivals. Uh, and then plus, we know that it can be hard to find shade in some of these events, and so checking before maybe the website or social media accounts of the festival or event uh to see do they have uh water stations? Can I bring a refillable water bottle? Um, always wearing sunscreen, bringing a hat, and then of course, watching for those signs of heat exhaustion, so nausea, fatigue, uh, and dizziness too.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you both so much for joining us today and and for having this super important conversation. Um for our listeners, um, please share this podcast far and wide with anyone you know. Like I think Megan mentioned earlier, um, it takes all types of people offering all types of support to make sure that we all can party safer. Absolutely. Yeah. So, to our listeners, any city programs or services we talk about will be listed in our program notes wherever you're streaming this podcast from, or you can search for them on the city website, which is ottawa.ca. The program notes also have a link to the city's YouTube channel where you can find our entire podcast archive. And if you have a comment or question about this podcast or any of our podcasts, just send us a message at podcast-ballado at Ottawa.ca. So this is the end of the podcast, but I don't think it's the end of this conversation. So remember to visit ottawa.ca for more information. Yes. Learn more about Party Safer that you heard about here today. Be on the lookout for upcoming announcements about more Ottawa uh City of Ottawa podcasts, because that's when we ought to talk about something else completely different. And because I can't get enough to play us out, here is a little more of Can't Get Enough by the Lionels from the City Sounds playlist on SoundCloud.

SPEAKER_02

First we like the bass and drama. Then suddenly you can't get in love, kicking up,