An anonymous texting service in Indianapolis works to prevent drug overdoses

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The text went out a week before Christmas: “Overdose Lifeline received a report of a large seizure of meth, pressed pills and fentanyl in the 46203 ZIP code.”

“Please be cautious by testing drugs and having naloxone on hand,” it continued.

The alert is part of weekly messages sent through CHARIOT, an anonymous texting service aimed at preventing overdoses in real time. Alerts are sent out when Overdose Lifeline, an Indianapolis nonprofit, receives information about a disruption in the local drug supply chain.

That could include “bad batches,” such as meth that’s been laced with opioids. The group also tracks drug seizures by law enforcement. Research shows overdoses spike in the weeks following police action. People may experience withdrawal or decreased tolerance, and so take more risks while using.

“We’ve got to address the unintended consequences,” said Justin Phillips, the founder of Overdose Lifeline. “Otherwise we are going to lose a bunch of lives.”

In 2025, about 1,300 people in Marion County went to the emergency room for a drug overdose. That’s in addition to 562 deaths reported by the Indiana Department of Health.

Those statistics are personal for Phillips, who lost her son to a heroin overdose in 2013. She worked to pass legislation in his name. Aaron’s Law, signed in 2015, expanded community access to naloxone, a life-saving medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.

Overdose Lifeline gives out naloxone and fentanyl test strips at pop-up events in affected areas across Indianapolis. Both are tools for harm reduction — a public health approach to minimize the dangers of drug use.

“Harm reduction meets people where they are,” said Breanna Hicks, a director at Overdose Lifeline who runs the CHARIOT program. “It’s a way to keep people safe and a segue into treatment.”

The nonprofit tabled Jan. 7 downtown at Presidential Place Park. They handed out hygiene kits, naloxone, test strips and brochures for recovery centers. In the corner, there was a box full of stickers. One with colorful flowers said, “Tomorrow needs you.”

P’lare Sanders walked up to the table and looked at the naloxone packages. The 45-year-old, who currently stays at Wheeler Mission, became teary.

“My best friend died in my arms,” she said. “Her drug dealer started cutting meth with fentanyl. Just to make a dollar.”

Sanders pulled out her Minnie Mouse wash cloth and wiped her eyes.

Later, she told Mirror Indy she wasn’t carrying naloxone at the time of the overdose. “I wish I would’ve had that training,” she said. “Because maybe my friend would still be here.”

The texting service is a two-way street.

Nearly 500 people are signed up to receive alerts in Indianapolis. But they can also send information back to Overdose Lifeline.

In early December, someone reported a federal raid in the 46225 ZIP code on the south side. A supplier of fentanyl, carfentanil and pressed pills was arrested, they wrote.

In other cases, Phillips said, people text in warnings after they test their drugs and find traces of fentanyl or xylazine, a tranquilizer. The messages are anonymous.

“Shame and stigma are huge,” Phillips said. “The text alerts are another way to address barriers that prevent people from getting help.”

She believes her son, Aaron, would have benefited from these tools if they had been used widely a decade ago.

“Had I known about drug testing, naloxone and trying to meet him where he was,” Phillips said, “we could’ve had a different outcome.”

Sign up for alerts by texting “CHARIOT” to 888-450-3598.

If you are using, you can also call the Never Use Alone Hotline at 800-484-3731 to connect with a peer. You can order free naloxone and test strips from Overdose Lifeline.

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This story was originally published by Mirror Indy and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.