For someone you care about
It’s not you. It’s them.
Being the person who notices is its own thing, and almost nothing is written for you. Everything here says “your friend” because that’s who you’re asking about.
If they won’t wake up, that’s now.
Call 911. Say they are unresponsive and not waking up. You do not have to mention drugs.
If they’re awake but not right
- Stay. Using alone is what turns an overdose into a death, and right now you are the reason they’re not alone.
- Roll them onto their side if they might throw up.
- Keep watching that they’re breathing. If it slows, gets noisy, or their lips look grey or blue, call 911.
- Don’t put them in a cold shower and don’t leave them to sleep it off upstairs alone. Both of those get people killed.
If they don’t want help
You can’t make someone accept help and trying usually makes them hide it better. What actually works is being the person they can call without a lecture waiting on the other end.
Say the specific thing you noticed rather than a label. “You were really out of it on Friday and it scared me” lands. “You have a problem” ends the conversation.
Get naloxone into your own bag. You don’t need their permission for that and it’s the single most useful thing you can do without their buy-in.
If it’s wearing you down
Being the one who watches is heavy, and it’s allowed to be too much. 988 will talk to you about someone else’s situation, not just your own.