Every year on August 31, communities around the world observe International Overdose Awareness Day, a day to remember the people whose lives have been lost to overdose, support the family and friends who carry that loss, reduce the stigma surrounding substance use, and take action to prevent future deaths.
International Overdose Awareness Day, often abbreviated as IOAD, has grown from a small remembrance event in Australia into the world’s largest annual campaign focused on ending overdose. At its heart is a message that is both simple and urgent: overdose can be prevented, and every life is worth protecting.
For Wellspring Center for Prevention, those goals closely reflect the work we do throughout the year: educating communities about substance misuse, strengthening prevention efforts, connecting individuals and families with resources, reducing stigma, and bringing community partners together to promote healthier communities.
What Is International Overdose Awareness Day?
International Overdose Awareness Day is observed every year on August 31. It provides an opportunity for individuals, families, prevention professionals, healthcare providers, community organizations, first responders and public officials to come together around several shared goals:
- Remember people who have died from an overdose.
- Recognize the grief experienced by their families, friends and communities.
- Reduce stigma surrounding substance use disorders and overdose.
- Increase awareness that overdose deaths can be prevented.
- Educate the public about overdose risks and prevention.
- Connect people with treatment, recovery and community resources.
- Encourage evidence-based approaches that can save lives.
79,384
Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2024
26.2% decline in the age-adjusted death rate from 2023
According to the CDC, overdose deaths declined substantially in 2024 after years of devastating losses. Even with that progress, tens of thousands of families and communities continue to be affected each year, underscoring why overdose awareness, prevention, treatment, and recovery support remain so important.
The CDC has similarly described the day as an opportunity to raise awareness about preventing overdose deaths, reduce stigma, highlight community services and support programs that reduce drug-related harms.
That combination of remembrance and prevention is important. International Overdose Awareness Day is not simply a memorial. It is also a call to use what we have learned to prevent another family from experiencing the same loss.
When Is International Overdose Awareness Day?
International Overdose Awareness Day takes place annually on August 31.
While August 31 is the official observance, communities may hold vigils, educational programs, remembrance ceremonies, naloxone trainings and other activities during the days or weeks surrounding it. Some organizations also recognize the broader period as Overdose Awareness Week or use August to promote overdose education before Recovery Month begins in September.
The History of International Overdose Awareness Day
International Overdose Awareness Day began in 2001 in Melbourne, Australia.
The first event was organized by Sally J. Finn at a Salvation Army needle and syringe program. What began as a local remembrance gathering soon grew beyond Melbourne as people recognized the need for a place where families and communities could mourn those lost to overdose without shame or stigma.
In 2012, Penington Institute, an Australian public health organization, assumed responsibility for coordinating the campaign internationally. In 2014, overdose prevention became an explicit core goal of the campaign alongside remembrance.
Since then, communities around the world have embraced International Overdose Awareness Day through vigils, educational programs, public ceremonies, proclamations, remembrance displays and other events designed to honor those lost while encouraging action to save lives.
Why Is Overdose Awareness Day on August 31?
The August 31 date has its roots in the campaign’s Australian origins.
August 31 is the final day of winter in Australia. According to International Overdose Awareness Day organizers, the date was chosen as a time for remembrance and reflection while also looking toward the beginning of spring and the hope and new beginnings associated with it.
That symbolism remains appropriate today. The day recognizes profound loss while emphasizing that communities can take action to prevent future overdose deaths.
Why Is Purple Associated With Overdose Awareness?
Purple is the official color associated with International Overdose Awareness Day. Each year, people wear purple, incorporate the color into remembrance events and illuminate buildings and landmarks in purple to recognize those affected by overdose.
Around the world, participating landmarks are lit purple on or around August 31 as both a tribute to lives lost and a visible call for overdose prevention.
For families who have experienced a loss, these displays can also carry an important message: their loved ones are remembered, their grief matters and they do not have to carry it alone.
Overdose Is Preventable
One of the central messages of International Overdose Awareness Day is that overdose does not have to be fatal.
Overdose can occur when the body is overwhelmed by a substance or combination of substances. Although much of the current public discussion focuses on opioids, overdose can involve many types of substances, including prescription medications, illicit drugs, alcohol, stimulants, depressants or combinations of substances.
Prevention includes many different strategies, from reducing substance misuse before it begins to making treatment, recovery services, overdose education and life-saving medications more accessible.
Community members can also help by learning how to recognize an overdose and how to respond.
Recognizing a Possible Opioid Overdose
Someone experiencing an opioid overdose may:
- Be unconscious or unable to wake up
- Have very slow, shallow or stopped breathing
- Make choking, snoring or gurgling sounds
- Have blue, gray or discolored lips or fingertips
- Have very small, “pinpoint” pupils
If you suspect an overdose, call 911 immediately and administer naloxone if it is available.
Because opioids are a major cause of fatal overdoses, knowing how to recognize and respond to a possible opioid overdose is especially important.
What Is Naloxone (Narcan)?
Naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, is a medication that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose by blocking the effects of opioids.
Naloxone is safe to administer when an opioid overdose is suspected. Because its effects can wear off while opioids remain in the person’s system, emergency medical assistance is still necessary.
New Jersey provides several ways for residents to obtain naloxone and learn how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose, including community training opportunities and programs providing naloxone at no cost.
Reducing Stigma Is Part of Overdose Prevention
Talking about overdose also means talking about stigma.
People experiencing a substance use disorder may avoid asking for help because they fear being judged, rejected or treated differently. Families who lose someone to overdose may also experience stigma while grieving.
International Overdose Awareness Day creates an opportunity to replace judgment with understanding.
A substance use disorder is a health condition, and people experiencing one deserve access to evidence-based treatment, compassion and support. Families affected by substance use and overdose deserve that same compassion.
Language matters as well. Speaking about a “person with a substance use disorder” rather than defining someone by their condition is one small way to recognize the person before the disease.
Reducing stigma does not mean minimizing the serious consequences of substance misuse. It means recognizing that shame and isolation do not prevent overdose. Education, connection, prevention, treatment and support do.
Wellspring’s Role in Overdose Awareness and Prevention
International Overdose Awareness Day reflects work that Wellspring Center for Prevention and our community partners pursue throughout the year.
New Jersey has also seen encouraging progress, but overdose continues to take thousands of lives. According to the New Jersey Department of Health, 2,816 New Jersey residents died from overdose in 2023, down from 3,171 in 2022.
Wellspring works with schools, municipalities, families, youth, community organizations and other partners to address the factors that contribute to substance misuse and to build healthier, more resilient communities.
Our prevention efforts recognize that overdose prevention begins long before an emergency occurs. It includes:
- Providing evidence-based substance misuse prevention education
- Helping young people develop healthy coping and decision-making skills
- Educating parents, educators and community members
- Addressing risk and protective factors associated with substance misuse
- Building partnerships between municipalities, schools and community organizations
- Connecting individuals and families with treatment and support resources
- Reducing stigma surrounding substance use disorders and recovery
- Supporting community education about overdose and naloxone
Wellspring has also participated directly in International Overdose Awareness Day ceremonies in Middlesex County.
At Dunellen’s 2022 Overdose Awareness Ceremony, Wellspring joined the Dunellen Municipal Alliance and other community partners to provide prevention education, information about naloxone, treatment and recovery resources, and messages of hope for families affected by overdose. Wellspring’s Director of Prevention Services also discussed the importance of addressing trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences as part of substance misuse prevention.
In 2024, Wellspring helped sponsor Piscataway’s first International Overdose Awareness Day Ceremony. The community event included guest speakers, overdose education, Narcan distribution and a remembrance ceremony honoring people lost to overdose. Wellspring’s ShaRonda Amon has been closely involved in Wellspring’s local Overdose Awareness Day efforts and in helping connect these community observances with prevention education and resources.
These events demonstrate one of the most important principles of prevention: no single person or organization can address overdose alone. Meaningful prevention requires residents, families, schools, healthcare providers, treatment and recovery organizations, first responders, local government and community organizations working together.
How Can You Participate in International Overdose Awareness Day?
There are many ways to recognize August 31, whether your life has been directly affected by overdose or you simply want to support your community.
You can:
- Attend a local Overdose Awareness Day event or remembrance ceremony.
- Remember someone who has died from an overdose by sharing their story, lighting a candle or participating in a memorial.
- Wear purple to help start conversations about overdose awareness.
- Learn how to recognize an overdose.
- Carry naloxone and learn how to use it.
- Share reputable overdose prevention information with friends, family and your community.
- Learn about treatment and recovery resources available in your area.
- Use respectful, person-first language when discussing substance use disorders.
- Talk with young people about substance misuse and healthy decision-making.
- Support people in recovery and the families affected by substance use disorders.
Perhaps most importantly, continue those efforts after August 31. Overdose prevention requires attention throughout the year.
Finding Substance Use Help and Resources in New Jersey
If you or someone you care about is struggling with substance use, asking for information is an important first step.
Wellspring’s Information and Referral services help individuals and families understand substance use concerns, treatment options and available resources. Wellspring Preventionists can provide information and help connect New Jersey residents with appropriate services.
New Jersey residents can also access statewide substance use support through ReachNJ, which connects individuals and families with addiction treatment and recovery resources.
No one has to understand every treatment option or know exactly what kind of help they need before reaching out.
International Overdose Awareness Day FAQs
International Overdose Awareness Day is observed every year on August 31. Events and remembrance activities may also take place in the days or weeks surrounding the official observance.
International Overdose Awareness Day remembers people who have died from overdose, acknowledges the grief of their loved ones, raises awareness about overdose prevention, reduces stigma surrounding substance use and encourages communities to take action to prevent future deaths.
The first International Overdose Awareness Day was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 2001. Penington Institute has coordinated the international campaign since 2012.
Purple is the official color of International Overdose Awareness Day. People and organizations use purple clothing, ribbons, lighting and displays to honor those affected by overdose and raise awareness about overdose prevention.
Yes. Overdose prevention can include substance misuse prevention, safer prescribing and medication practices, access to treatment and recovery services, overdose education, reducing stigma, recognizing overdose symptoms and expanding access to naloxone.
Narcan is a brand name for naloxone, a medication that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose. It can restore breathing while emergency medical help is on the way. Anyone who suspects an overdose should call 911 even when naloxone has been administered.
New Jersey offers programs through which residents can obtain naloxone and participate in overdose-response training. The New Jersey Department of Human Services and ReachNJ provide current information about naloxone availability and overdose prevention resources.
You can participate in a community event, wear purple, remember someone lost to overdose, learn how to recognize an overdose, carry naloxone, share prevention information, support people in recovery or help reduce stigma surrounding substance use disorders.
Remembering Those Lost and Working to Prevent the Next Overdose
International Overdose Awareness Day gives communities a dedicated moment to remember people whose lives ended too soon and recognize the families, friends and communities forever changed by those losses.
But remembrance is only part of its purpose.
Every conversation that reduces stigma, every person who learns how to administer naloxone, every young person reached through prevention education, every family connected with support and every community willing to work together can contribute to preventing overdose.
On August 31, we remember those we have lost.
Throughout the rest of the year, we can honor them through prevention, education, compassion and action.