#88 – Nathan Smiddy: Harm Reduction#88 – Nathan Smiddy: Harm Reduction
Recovery Survey
Brett Morris talks with harm reduction advocate "Narcan Nate" (Nathan Smiddy) about his journey from opioid addiction and overdose to full-time Narcan distribution and outreach. Their conversation centres on how harm reduction keeps people alive, challenges stigma, and supports long-term recovery alongside traditional abstinence-based approaches.
0:00•10 Nov 2021
Narcan Nate on Harm Reduction, Survival, and Building a Life in Recovery
Episode Overview
- Harm reduction can keep people alive long enough to seek recovery, with Narcan and test strips acting as a crucial safety net.
- Telling someone to "get clean" rarely works; people usually change only when they are personally ready.
- Complete abstinence, regular meetings, step work, and service commitments form the backbone of Nathan’s ongoing sobriety.
- Current systems that criminalise addiction and poverty often push people further down rather than offering real rehabilitation.
- Grassroots harm reduction projects often rely heavily on donations and volunteers rather than salaried, grant-funded structures.
“Somebody told me that I was the only person that was going to give me the life that I wanted.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation between host Brett Morris and guest Nathan Smiddy – better known as "Narcan Nate" – looks at that question through the lens of harm reduction and long-term recovery. Nathan shares how his substance use began in his teens, moved into dealing, and eventually spiralled into opioid addiction, overdoses, and psychosis.
He talks frankly about overdosing at 19, waking up after 26 hours, and a family who "literally did not know what to do". That lack of knowledge planted the seed for his current work. As he puts it bluntly, "You can't recover if you're dead." Now nearly three years sober, Nathan keeps his recovery simple: complete abstinence, meetings, step work, and service.
He jokes, "I really suck at using drugs," but backs it up with grit – skating miles to work, rebuilding from scratch 2,000 miles from home, and taking on sponsees while going to school. The heart of the episode is harm reduction. Nathan explains how he works with the non-profit A New PATH to hand out naloxone (Narcan) and fentanyl test strips, run trainings, and do street outreach.
Critics say it "enables" people, but Nathan sees it differently: "I'm enabling people to live and have a chance." He shares that in just ten weeks, 40 reported lives were saved through the work he’s involved in. Brett and Nathan also talk about broken systems: criminalisation, pointless fines for people living on the streets, and how jail doesn’t fix addiction.
Instead, they ask what can actually bridge the gap between "them dying and them recovering." Nathan leaves listeners with a powerful reminder: "Somebody told me that I was the only person that was going to give me the life that I wanted." If harm reduction keeps people alive long enough to reach that realisation, what could that mean for your community?
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