2025 International Overdose Awareness Day 8/31/25
The overdose crisis doesn’t just shatter our families; it fractures our communities.
Each loss goes far beyond one person, one family or one neighborhood. It ripples through classrooms, workplaces and public spaces. It crosses city lines, state borders, and even nations.
Yet in a time when people are searching for connection and safety, overdose also reminds us that our lives are deeply intertwined. We often instinctively protect our own – our children, our parents, our siblings. We believe in second chances for our loved ones but struggle to extend that same compassion to others.
But 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?
This International Overdose Awareness Day let’s imagine what family means. Let’s build a family driven by hope, love and action. We are one family – not just because we share in the pain of loss, but because we share in the power to change what comes next.
Amy is the mother of Micah, a talented artist and musician who tragically died from an overdose last year in our community. Amy courageously shares Micah’s story—his gifts, his struggles, and her deep grief of losing him. As part of the Overdose Fatality Review (OFR), hosted by Benton-Franklin Health District, is the opportunity for families to provide a Next of Kin interview to help inform our community about the risk and protective factors that were present in their loved one’s life. This information provides context for the OFR team to develop recommendations to improve our community’s safety net. Amy agreed to be interviewed and shared honest reflections of her family’s journey. She found strength and support in Facebook groups such as The Grief Club-Bereaved Mothers Support Group, private groups where she listens, shares, and uplifts others with messages of hope.
This year, Benton-Franklin Health District launched a campaign to destigmatize drug use and promote compassion, love and support for people who use drugs. The campaign—Be a User, Safe a Life—calls on everyone to carry naloxone and be ready to act in an overdose emergency. The message is simple and powerful: Use Friendship. Use Understanding. Use a Second Chance. Use naloxone/Narcan to save a life.
Substance use disorder is a treatable condition, and recovery is possible. People in recovery are parents, coworkers, neighbors, and friends. They are defining their version of wellness and hope. To find recovery resources, check out the Washington Recovery Help Line at 866-789-1511. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Let's celebrate those in recovery and support those still on their journey. Whether through treatment, peer support, harm reduction, or simply being there to listen—every act of kindness helps pave the way to healing.
This International Overdose Awareness Day, reach out to someone who may need a friend. Share a story. Listen with compassion. Every moment of connection is a step towards healing and a celebration of our shared humanity.