It took a series of traumatic events for Dallas native Anthony Delabano to decide he wanted to recover from his struggle with substance use.
Delabano, 38, struggled with sobriety for 11 years and lost two friends who died by suicide before he changed course.
Now, he says he wants to help reduce damage to others going through the same struggle: Delabano's brought what he says is the first free Narcan vendor in North Texas — and, he said, he plans to bring more.
“I’ve lost a lot of people to things like suicide and drug addiction,” Delabano said. “This is kind of my next endeavor to give back.”
Naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, is an over-the-counter nasal spray that rapidly – but temporarily – reverses a potential opioid overdose, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. A single dosage can cost more than $40 at a pharmacy.
Delabano, who is also founder of nonprofit group Foundation 45, refurnished a second-hand vending machine and partnered with anti-opioid nonprofit Livegy to help raise awareness to the new vendor this past weekend.
The machine was first shown Sunday at the Deep Ellum Community Center, where Livegy members demonstrated how to use the nasal spray before it was installed Monday at the Association of Persons Affected by Addiction in South Dallas.
Livegy Strategic Director Peter Pursley said they want to provide training and resources through a QR code on the back of the Narcan packages.
“A side goal of the vending machines is to collect data,” Pursley said. “Obviously nothing like identity, but finding the numbers where it is getting distributed and a questionnaire — are you able to access help? Do you want help? Just trying to get better data to help public officials.”
How Narcan works
An overdose looks different each time but there are warning signs to look out for, Pursley said. Signs include labored or no breathing, blue lips and fingertips and cold, clammy skin.
An overdose impacts the part of the brain that controls your breathing, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Each package contains one nasal spray bottle with 4 milligrams of Narcan, but Pursley recommends people to take two. It can be given to a person as many times as needed, he said.
Narcan forms a block on the receptors in the brain that the opioids bond to, lasting about 30 minutes. Pursley said it’s critical to go to the hospital after a Narcan dosage — even if the person has already been revived.
“It’s not a permanent fix,” he said. “And ultimately, you don't know what else could be in [the opioid.]”
Opioids make up about 70% of drug-related deaths nationwide, but fentanyl continues to be the deadliest, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In 2022, Texas had the third-highest number of drug overdose deaths in the country, with more than 5,000 reported. That same year, there were nearly 800 drug-poisoning related deaths by any opioid in North Texas.
Delabano said he hopes to distribute 30 vending machines across North Texas by the end of the year in areas in which overdoses are more likely to occur.
"It’s not about, ‘don't do drugs,'" Delabano said. "It's really about making sure that we keep people alive until they're ready to make the decision [to recover] for themselves."
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