Local communities in Roane County and around the world are coming together to remember those who have died or suffered permanent injury due to drug overdose.
Observed on August 31 every year, International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) seeks to create better understanding of overdose, reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths, and create change that reduces the harms associated with drug use.
On the Friday before IOAD, August 29 (today), the Roane County Prevention Coalition will be doing their part to raise awareness in Roane County by hosting a brief ceremony of remembrance on the Courthouse Lawn in Spencer, WV at 12:00 PM (noon).
The overdose crisis doesn’t just shatter families, it fractures communities. The losses go deeper than one person, one family or one neighborhood. They ripple out into classrooms, workplaces, and the spaces everyone shares. They cross borders between cities, states, and nations. In a time when people are searching for connection and safety, overdose also reminds us that each of our lives are deeply intertwined.
The Penington Institute, an Australian not-for-profit began convening International Overdose Awareness Day in 2001.This year’s campaign theme is: “One big family, driven by hope.”
People often instinctively protect their own – children, parents, siblings. They believe in second chances for loved ones, but struggle to extend that same compassion to others. The Penington Institute asks what if we saw each other as one big family, bound not just by blood, but by shared experiences, responsibility, and commitment to each other?
“By coming together to remember loved ones lost, we stand together to say that more needs to be done to end overdose in our community,” said WVU Extension Agent and Roane County Prevention Coalition President, Brandy Brabham.
“We encourage members of the community with lived experience to come to our event and to stand in solidarity with the men and women who have been personally affected by overdose; because no one should carry this grief alone, said Brabham.
By holding an event each year, for the past three years, the people of Roane County have joined communities around the globe honor lives lost, educate their families, friends, and peers, and explore evidence-based overdose prevention solutions.
The Penington Institute hopes this International Overdose Awareness Day that people can imagine a new meaning of what family can be. A family driven by hope, love, and action. We are one big family – not just because we share in the pain of loss, but because we share in the power to change what comes next. Every story shared, every voice raised and every step we take brings us closer to a future free from overdose.
To learn more about overdose basics, overdose prevention, or global facts and statistics and a full list of the IOAD 2025 events planned around the world, visit: https://www.overdoseday.com
