Dubliner fights drug addiction in central Georgia

In July, a support group in East Dublin received training on the use of Narcan. Eight days later, one of their clients suffered a fentanyl overdose during a church service.

DUBLIN, Georgia – According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 108,000 people died of drug overdoses in the United States in 2022.

That's why the state agency Georgia Overdose Prevention is distributing free Narcan kits across the state. According to its website, its kits have helped save 11,327 lives.

One of these incidents occurred recently in August in Laurens County.

Because of his late fiancée Mary Louise Boutwell, Narcan is one of Nick Campbell's greatest passions.

“After two years of recovery, she was doing fine, then one morning she relapsed, took a single pill, took heroin that night and couldn't breathe,” he said.

That was in 2016, and since then, Campbell's mission has been to get Narcan into as many hands as possible across the state.

“What I went through and what Mary Louis' family went through, what 11,000 other families in Georgia could have gone through, doesn't have to happen,” he said.

Narcan is easy to use and works similarly to a nasal spray. Nick said even a kindergartener can use it. He also said that Narcan is safe to use if a person does not overdose.

He and his wife run the Sienna Archae Recovery Kaleidoscope in Dublin.

They hold free Narcan trainings across the country to certify people and distribute Narcan from Georgia Overdose Prevention to anyone who might need it at some point. In July, they held a training at Christian Recovery Centers in East Dublin.

“And if they slip up and make a mistake one day, hopefully it won't end with a funeral,” he said.

Eight days after training at Christian Recovery Centers, a new client smuggled some fentanyl into an evening church service and overdosed.

Stephen Borders was also a customer there and immediately had advice.

“Preacher just started and when we looked over, he fell out,” Borders said. “You know, everyone woke up hysterical and didn't know anything. I immediately jumped into action. Training began.”

He said he gave him seven doses of Narcan and also performed CPR, reviving him before paramedics even arrived.

“I'm grateful that I trained it,” he said. “I don't consider myself a hero because of it, but I'm glad I was able to save a boy's life.”

He said he recommends people learn how to use Narcan because you never know.

“It's a scary, dark place out there,” Borders said. “And like I said, I keep it in my truck. I've got three or four of them in my door right now, just in case I run into somebody on the street or something.”

Caroline said her goal is to make Narcan available to the public because overdoses are not only occurring in doctor's offices.

“Alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases and we need to treat them like diseases instead of treating them like a moral defect,” she said.

If you would like to ask the Campbells to come to your church, business or other group and provide free Narcan training, you can call 478-274-8986.

September is National Recovery Month, and a Georgia Recovers bus tour is crossing the state to celebrate recovery. They will stop at the Market on Madison in Dublin this Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

There will be free food, entertainment and socializing and Nick will also be there to provide further Narcan training.