According to the Penington Institute, International Overdose Awareness Day is the idea of ending overdose, while also terminating the stigma that comes along with it. In addition, on this day, we seek to give recognition to those who have died due to overdose.
Facts About Overdose:
The risk of an overdose increases with the use of opiates and other depressants like Xanax (https://www.learn2cope.org/facts-about-overdose/)
An overdose can occur within 1-3 hours of using the drug (https://www.learn2cope.org/facts-about-overdose/)
The first wave of opioid overdose deaths began in the 1990s with prescription opioids and has been increasing since at least 1999 (https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/epidemic.html)
In 2017, more than 47,000 Americans died because of an opioid overdose including from heroin and prescription opioids (https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis)
To learn more about campaign resources and how you can help, please visit: https://www.overdoseday.com/