International Overdose Awareness Day, August 31, is the most extensive annual campaign to end overdose. The campaign raises awareness of overdose, which has impacted every community. Too many families have lost loved ones, but this campaign and others like it can save lives. 

According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, it’s estimated that 2,991 in New York State die from opioid overdose in one year. In Pennsylvania, the number is 2,866. Opioids are a factor in 80.9 percent of all overdose deaths in New York; in PA, it’s 64.9 percent.

Nationally, according to the CDC, there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2023—fortunately, a decrease of 3 percent from 2022. This has been the first national annual decrease since 2018. However, synthetic opioids continue to be involved in three-quarters of all overdose deaths across the nation.  

Overdose prevention campaigns work tirelessly to prevent these deaths among people of all ages. There are practical resources, tools and information that individuals, families, and communities can use to increase awareness, prevent overdose, and save lives. 

Both New York and PA offer some overdose prevention and resources. The New York overdose prevention program offers community strategies, toolkits and opioid overdose prevention resources for school settings.  In PA, qualifying providers (including The Wright Center) can acquire naloxone and testing strips to check for fentanyl and xylazine.

One of the most recognized national awareness and prevention resources is the International Overdose Awareness Day website at www.overdoseday.com/, which provides extensive resources and ways to get involved. The National Harm Reduction Coalition offers evidence-based strategies that reduce the risk of overdose. Finally, the National Safety Council provides resources for the workplace. 

It’s important to remember that overdose is preventable. Any one individual or local community can increase awareness through practical approaches and effective campaigns. Begin by keeping in mind that stigma or the fear of stigma stops someone struggling with addiction from sharing their problems with friends or family. Stigma, for example, can come from individuals, family members, clinicians or the community. Begin by removing the stigma. 

Moreover, you should become familiar with the facts about fentanyl and fentanyl analogs. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl is commonly mixed into fake prescription drugs and illicit street drugs. 

Most overdose deaths occur because of polysubstance use, which occurs when two or more drugs are taken together, whether intentionally or unintentionally. The primary risk factors associated with overdose include mixing drugs, tolerance, quality of the drug, using alone, age and physical health, mode of administration, and previous non-fatal overdoses.

Also, familiarize yourself with life-saving naloxone. In New York and PA, pharmacies can dispense naloxone to anyone without a prescription. 

Most importantly, remember those we have lost to overdose and acknowledge the grief of the family left behind. Overdose affects everyone, and this should also fuel our commitment to end overdose and all of its related harms. 

International Overdose Awareness Day 2024 focuses on how every individual action matters and how coming together as a community creates a decisive collective action. Overdose awareness is for everyone, for people who use drugs and those who don’t, for families who have lost loved ones, for healthcare workers, advocates and activists. These are necessary steps everyone can take to save lives, protect communities and safeguard families.

Michael Leach has spent most of his career as a health care professional specializing in substance use & addiction recovery. He is a certified clinical medical assistant (CCMA) and the public relations officer at DRS, an organization dedicated to helping people find help coping with substance abuse.