Never Use Alone

Mission and Philosophy:
Never Use Alone operates under the philosophy of "No Judgment, No Shaming, No Preaching, Just LOVE!" The organization is founded on harm reduction principles, believing that people who use substances are just as valuable as people who do not. The organization's goal is to reduce harm, not increase it, and they do not require abstinence from their volunteers or callers.

Primary Services:

Spotting Services Hotline

The primary service offered is a spotting services hotline available at 1-800-484-3731. This service provides life-saving support for individuals who are using substances alone. When someone calls the hotline, they are asked to provide their first name (which can be fake if preferred), phone number, exact location, county they are in, and what substance they're using. After this information is collected, the caller can proceed to use their substance while remaining on the phone with a trained operator.

Emergency Response Protocol

The organization's operators stay on the phone with callers while they use their substance, asking them to indicate when they're finished so monitoring can begin. Operators continue talking with callers for a minimum of about 10 minutes to ensure they're going to be okay. If a caller stops responding for more than 30-45 seconds, the operator contacts Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and provides the caller's location to get help to them. The organization has access to a system called Northern 911, which allows them to call a toll-free number and connect to the correct 911 dispatch center anywhere in the USA.

Harm Reduction Approach

To reduce the chances of police responding alongside EMS, operators report emergencies as "unresponsive person" rather than "overdose," as overdose calls often automatically trigger police response. The organization never shares caller information with anyone other than EMS when calling 911, and they do not store any caller information.

Volunteer Program:

Volunteer Requirements and Philosophy

The organization actively seeks volunteers who have lived experience with substance use or harm reduction experience. They prefer operators who have personal experience with drug use, believing that callers are most comfortable with operators who have "been there." All volunteers are people who have personal experience with substance use disorder - either people who use or have used drugs, or parents who have lost a child to overdose. Some operators identify as current drug users, as abstinence is not a requirement for volunteering.

Volunteer Responsibilities

As a Never Use Alone volunteer, individuals are responsible for answering incoming calls on their cell phone or landline. They ask callers for location information and remain on the call while the person uses their substance, engaging in conversation with them. If the caller experiences an adverse drug event and stops responding, volunteers contact emergency medical services and provide the caller's location.

Flexible Scheduling

Volunteers choose their own availability to receive calls with no designated shifts. After training, volunteers are added to the organization's Discord server. When they are available and have time to take calls, they simply notify the moderators through Discord, and a moderator will turn their line on or off at their request.

Training and Support

If applications are accepted, candidates are contacted for a phone interview and scheduled for operator training. The organization provides mental health professionals who volunteer their time to help operators work through traumatic events or decompress from difficult calls, recognizing that the position can be extremely mentally and emotionally challenging while also being one of the most rewarding positions volunteers can have.

Disqualifications

The organization does not accept applications from anyone working at a treatment facility in roles such as "Business Development Specialist," "Outreach Coordinator," or any other role responsible for gaining new clients for facilities, as they cannot risk their line being used as a recruitment tool for treatment centers.

Additional Services and Resources:

Treatment Resources

While the organization never pushes callers to seek treatment, recognizing that individuals will only quit when they're ready, they maintain a comprehensive list of free, low-cost, and state-funded treatment programs and facilities throughout the country. They assist callers in finding whatever type of treatment they think they need if and when they're ready. A complete treatment resources file is available for download.

Harm Reduction Program Assistance

The organization helps callers locate harm reduction programs in their state to reduce the dangers of drug use. When they aren't aware of harm reduction programs in a specific state, they typically refer callers to the Free Narcan and Harm Reduction Services page on Facebook, which maintains a list of harm reduction organizations throughout the United States.

Educational Materials and Outreach

The organization provides business card-sized graphics and flyers available on their resources page, with files designed to print 8 cards on one sheet of paper. They actively participate in presentations, speaking events, virtual interviews, and other outreach activities to spread awareness about their service.

Operational Details:

Service Availability

While the organization does not have set operating hours, they cannot guarantee that operators will be available in the middle of the night. They have brought on operators specifically for night shifts in an effort to provide 24/7 coverage.

Staff and Team

The organization has a team structure that includes staff members named Shay, Dean, Lauren, Eliza, Remi, Vikki, Kimberly, and Vanessa. The organization was founded by Mike Brown, who serves as President and Founder.

Important Limitations and Warnings:
The organization clearly states that they cannot guarantee that help will reach callers in time, emphasizing that using substances remains a very dangerous situation. They provide trauma and trigger warnings for their volunteer positions, noting that the work is highly stressful and can sometimes be traumatic. While the vast majority of calls end safely, volunteers will likely encounter adverse drug events where callers become unresponsive, requiring them to call for help and listen while waiting for emergency medical services to arrive.

Organizational History:
Never Use Alone was founded in August 2019 after someone posted in a private Facebook group offering their phone number for people to call if they were going to use substances alone, following the death of their friend. This inspired the founder to wonder what it would take to provide such a service on a large scale, and within a week, Never Use Alone was operational.

Emergency Protocols:
The organization emphasizes that if someone is calling to report an overdose in progress, they should call 911 directly. If someone is in crisis and wants to speak with a crisis helpline, they should call 988. The spotting services hotline at 1-800-484-3731 is specifically for individuals who want someone to stay on the phone with them while they use substances alone.

The organization is not affiliated with any law enforcement agency and operates purely from a harm reduction perspective, with the goal of reducing harm rather than inducing harm through legal consequences.