International Overdose Awareness Day (''IOAD'' or ''Overdose Day'') is a global event held on 31 August each year since 2001. Its purpose is to raise awareness of

overdoses A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Retrieved on September 20, 2014.

, reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths and acknowledge the grief felt by families and friends. The first day, held in 2001 in Australia, saw 6,000 silver ribbons distributed across the country and into New Zealand. Since then the day has grown and is recognized in over 40 countries. So too, sadly, has the death toll from overdose continued to rise, particularly in North America. The silver ribbon and the colour purple are representative symbols of the International Overdose Awareness Day. "Time to remember. Time to act" is the slogan used by campaigners.

History

The IOAD event was initiated in 2001 in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

by S.J. Finn, then managing a needle and syringe program at the ''Salvation Army Crisis Centre'' in

St Kilda, Victoria St Kilda is an inner seaside suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, southeast of the Melbourne central business district, located within the City of Port Phillip Local government areas of Victoria, local government area. St Kilda recorded a ...

. The coordination of events globally has been run by the Penington Institute since 2012. Some events organized over time include: * 2017: In

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States where 1,217 people died of opioid overdose that year (the highest death rate of any major U.S. city), there were calls for an overdose prevention site in 2018. * 2018: Vigils were held in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

where 38 people died of overdose in July 2018. Firefighters in the city attended 6,234 overdose calls in 2017. The Ontario Pharmacists Association issued warnings about the dangers of prescription opioids. * 2018: The Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Council of

Orange County, New York Orange County is a List of counties in New York, county located in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 401,310. The county seat is Goshen (village), New York, Goshen. This count ...

organised a candlelight vigil and remembrance ceremony at the Goshen Village Square. Guests were encouraged to bring a photo or other memento of a loved one. * 2020: recovery arts organisations were planning live-stream public performances in four cities of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, replicating a successful initiative of 2019. However, they decided to create videos that would be broadcast on Facebook and YouTube due to the social distance measures of the

COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. * 2021:

Young Liberals of Norway Young Liberals of Norway () (NUV) is the youth league of the Norway, Norwegian political party Venstre (Norway), Venstre. Young Liberals was founded on 27 January 1909, with Anders Kirkhusmo as the first leader. The current president is Sondre Han ...

(''Unge Venstre'') marked the day with placing 260

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

es in front of the

Storting The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The Unicameralism, unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list propo ...

. The 260 crosses represented the average 260 people who die of drug-related overdoses in Norway each year, which the political party means is a consequence of the Norwegian government's war on drugs. * 2022: networks of drug users in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Spain organized a walk the city center, pasting silhouettes of neighbours victims of overdose during the current year in remembrance. The event is organized simultaneously worldwide, with Penington Institute facilitating communication materials and awareness campaigns. International Overdose Awareness Day badges and wristbands depicting the silver ribbon are produced and distributed to local groups globally.

References

External links

* (Official website) {{Drug policy Addiction medicine August observances Drug culture Drug overdose Drug policy Drug-related deaths Drug safety Health awareness days Harm reduction Public health Public health organizations Substance intoxication Substance abuse Recurring events established in 2001

History

See also

References

External links