diff --git a/src/arc_ring_buffer.rs b/src/arc_ring_buffer.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ec1836c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/arc_ring_buffer.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+use alloc::boxed::Box;
+use core::sync::atomic::{AtomicU8, Ordering};
+use core::{cell::Cell, ptr::NonNull};
+
+use super::IS_ABANDONED;
+use super::{Consumer, Producer, RingBuffer};
+
+// Non-public helper type.
+#[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub(crate) struct ArcRingBuffer<T> {
+    ptr: NonNull<RingBuffer<T>>,
+}
+
+// SAFETY: If RingBuffer is Send, ArcRingBuffer is as well.
+unsafe impl<T> Send for ArcRingBuffer<T> where RingBuffer<T>: Send {}
+
+impl<T> ArcRingBuffer<T> {
+    // NB: this takes ownership of the RingBuffer, making sure that only one
+    //     Producer and Consumer are ever created.
+    #[allow(clippy::new_ret_no_self)]
+    pub fn new(rb: Box<RingBuffer<T>>) -> (Producer<T>, Consumer<T>) {
+        debug_assert_eq!(rb.flags.load(Ordering::Relaxed) & IS_ABANDONED, 0);
+        let head = rb.head.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
+        let tail = rb.tail.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
+
+        // We leak the `Box` here, but in the `Drop` implementation the pointer
+        // will be turned back into a `Box` and its memory will be properly deallocated.
+        let ptr = Box::leak(rb);
+        // SAFETY: Pointer from `Box` is always non-null.
+        let ptr = unsafe { NonNull::new_unchecked(ptr) };
+
+        let p = Producer {
+            buffer: Self { ptr },
+            cached_head: Cell::new(head),
+            cached_tail: Cell::new(tail),
+        };
+        let c = Consumer {
+            buffer: Self { ptr },
+            cached_head: Cell::new(head),
+            cached_tail: Cell::new(tail),
+        };
+        (p, c)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> Drop for ArcRingBuffer<T> {
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        // SAFETY: must point to initialized Storage.
+        let flags: &AtomicU8 = unsafe { &self.ptr.as_ref().flags };
+        // The "store" part of `fetch_or()` has to use `Release` to make sure that any previous writes
+        // to the ring buffer happen before it (in the thread that drops first).
+        // The "load" part can be `Relaxed` for the first thread,
+        // but it must be `Acquire` for the second one (see below).
+        if flags.fetch_or(IS_ABANDONED, Ordering::Release) & IS_ABANDONED == 0 {
+            // The flag wasn't set before, so we are the first to drop our
+            // producer/consumer and it should not be dropped yet.
+        } else {
+            // The flag was already set, i.e. the other thread has already dropped its
+            // consumer/producer and it can be dropped now.
+
+            // However, since the load of `flags` was `Relaxed`,
+            // we have to use `Acquire` here to make sure that reading `head` and `tail`
+            // in the destructor happens after this point.
+
+            // Ideally, we would use a memory fence like this:
+            //core::sync::atomic::fence(Ordering::Acquire);
+            // ... but as long as ThreadSanitizer doesn't support fences,
+            // we use load(Acquire) as a work-around to avoid false positives:
+            let _ = flags.load(Ordering::Acquire);
+            // SAFETY: RingBuffer has been allocated with `Box::new()`.
+            unsafe {
+                drop_slow(self.ptr);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Non-inlined part of `ArcRingBuffer::drop()`.
+#[inline(never)]
+unsafe fn drop_slow<T>(ptr: NonNull<RingBuffer<T>>) {
+    // SAFETY: The caller of `ArcRingBuffer::from_ptr()` has to guarantee that the memory
+    // has been allocated with `Box::new()` or compatible.
+    unsafe {
+        // Turn the pointer into a `Box` and immediately drop it, which deallocates the memory.
+        drop(Box::from_raw(ptr.as_ptr()));
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> core::ops::Deref for ArcRingBuffer<T> {
+    type Target = RingBuffer<T>;
+
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        // SAFETY: There are never any mutable references.
+        unsafe { self.ptr.as_ref() }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 7b1800b2..4f44900a 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -67,20 +67,25 @@
 
 extern crate alloc;
 
-use alloc::sync::Arc;
+use alloc::boxed::Box;
 use alloc::vec::Vec;
 use core::cell::Cell;
 use core::fmt;
 use core::marker::PhantomData;
 use core::mem::{ManuallyDrop, MaybeUninit};
-use core::sync::atomic::{AtomicUsize, Ordering};
+use core::sync::atomic::{AtomicU8, AtomicUsize, Ordering};
 
 #[allow(dead_code, clippy::undocumented_unsafe_blocks)]
 mod cache_padded;
 use cache_padded::CachePadded;
 
+const IS_ABANDONED: u8 = 0b10000000;
+
+mod arc_ring_buffer;
 pub mod chunks;
 
+use arc_ring_buffer::ArcRingBuffer;
+
 // This is used in the documentation.
 #[allow(unused_imports)]
 use chunks::WriteChunkUninit;
@@ -103,6 +108,8 @@ pub struct RingBuffer<T> {
     /// This integer is in range `0 .. 2 * capacity`.
     tail: CachePadded<AtomicUsize>,
 
+    flags: AtomicU8,
+
     /// The buffer holding slots.
     data_ptr: *mut T,
 
@@ -136,24 +143,14 @@ impl<T> RingBuffer<T> {
     #[allow(clippy::new_ret_no_self)]
     #[must_use]
     pub fn new(capacity: usize) -> (Producer<T>, Consumer<T>) {
-        let buffer = Arc::new(RingBuffer {
+        ArcRingBuffer::new(Box::new(Self {
             head: CachePadded::new(AtomicUsize::new(0)),
             tail: CachePadded::new(AtomicUsize::new(0)),
+            flags: AtomicU8::new(0),
             data_ptr: ManuallyDrop::new(Vec::with_capacity(capacity)).as_mut_ptr(),
             capacity,
             _marker: PhantomData,
-        });
-        let p = Producer {
-            buffer: buffer.clone(),
-            cached_head: Cell::new(0),
-            cached_tail: Cell::new(0),
-        };
-        let c = Consumer {
-            buffer,
-            cached_head: Cell::new(0),
-            cached_tail: Cell::new(0),
-        };
-        (p, c)
+        }))
     }
 
     /// Returns the capacity of the queue.
@@ -294,7 +291,7 @@ impl<T> Eq for RingBuffer<T> {}
 #[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
 pub struct Producer<T> {
     /// A reference to the ring buffer.
-    buffer: Arc<RingBuffer<T>>,
+    buffer: ArcRingBuffer<T>,
 
     /// A copy of `buffer.head` for quick access.
     ///
@@ -423,9 +420,10 @@ impl<T> Producer<T> {
 
     /// Returns `true` if the corresponding [`Consumer`] has been destroyed.
     ///
-    /// Note that since Rust version 1.74.0, this is not synchronizing with the consumer thread
-    /// anymore, see <https://github.com/mgeier/rtrb/issues/114>.
-    /// In a future version of `rtrb`, the synchronizing behavior might be restored.
+    /// Note that since Rust version 1.74.0 and before `rtrb` version 0.4,
+    /// this was not synchronizing with the consumer thread anymore,
+    /// see [issue #114](https://github.com/mgeier/rtrb/issues/114).
+    /// In `rtrb` version 0.4, the synchronizing behavior has been restored.
     ///
     /// # Examples
     ///
@@ -460,13 +458,11 @@ impl<T> Producer<T> {
     /// # use rtrb::RingBuffer;
     /// # let (p, c) = RingBuffer::<i32>::new(1);
     /// if p.is_abandoned() {
-    ///     // This is needed since Rust 1.74.0, see https://github.com/mgeier/rtrb/issues/114:
-    ///     std::sync::atomic::fence(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Acquire);
     ///     // The consumer does definitely not exist anymore.
     /// }
     /// ```
     pub fn is_abandoned(&self) -> bool {
-        Arc::strong_count(&self.buffer) < 2
+        self.buffer.flags.load(Ordering::Acquire) & IS_ABANDONED != 0
     }
 
     /// Returns a read-only reference to the ring buffer.
@@ -520,7 +516,7 @@ impl<T> Producer<T> {
 #[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
 pub struct Consumer<T> {
     /// A reference to the ring buffer.
-    buffer: Arc<RingBuffer<T>>,
+    buffer: ArcRingBuffer<T>,
 
     /// A copy of `buffer.head` for quick access.
     ///
@@ -702,9 +698,10 @@ impl<T> Consumer<T> {
 
     /// Returns `true` if the corresponding [`Producer`] has been destroyed.
     ///
-    /// Note that since Rust version 1.74.0, this is not synchronizing with the producer thread
-    /// anymore, see <https://github.com/mgeier/rtrb/issues/114>.
-    /// In a future version of `rtrb`, the synchronizing behavior might be restored.
+    /// Note that since Rust version 1.74.0 and before `rtrb` version 0.4,
+    /// this was not synchronizing with the consumer thread anymore,
+    /// see [issue #114](https://github.com/mgeier/rtrb/issues/114).
+    /// In `rtrb` version 0.4, the synchronizing behavior has been restored.
     ///
     /// # Examples
     ///
@@ -738,13 +735,11 @@ impl<T> Consumer<T> {
     /// # use rtrb::RingBuffer;
     /// # let (p, c) = RingBuffer::<i32>::new(1);
     /// if c.is_abandoned() {
-    ///     // This is needed since Rust 1.74.0, see https://github.com/mgeier/rtrb/issues/114:
-    ///     std::sync::atomic::fence(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Acquire);
     ///     // The producer does definitely not exist anymore.
     /// }
     /// ```
     pub fn is_abandoned(&self) -> bool {
-        Arc::strong_count(&self.buffer) < 2
+        self.buffer.flags.load(Ordering::Acquire) & IS_ABANDONED != 0
     }
 
     /// Returns a read-only reference to the ring buffer.
diff --git a/tests/lib.rs b/tests/lib.rs
index 5c0cec2f..3d1f9457 100644
--- a/tests/lib.rs
+++ b/tests/lib.rs
@@ -151,7 +151,6 @@ fn no_race_with_is_abandoned() {
         });
         std::thread::yield_now();
         if c.is_abandoned() {
-            std::sync::atomic::fence(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Acquire);
             unsafe { V = 20 };
         }
         t.join().unwrap();