Local communities around the world are coming together on Aug. 31 to remember those who have died or suffered permanent injury due to drug overdose.

Observed on Aug. 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.

Global overdose rates have skyrocketed in the last 25 years.

In 2020, an estimated 284 million people worldwide had used a drug in the past 12 months, a 26 per cent increase from 2010.

The situation is especially severe in the U.S. Nearly 110,000 Americans lost their lives to overdose in 2022 an increase of roughly 4 percent from 2021 and the second consecutive year of more than 100,000 overdose deaths “By coming together to remember them, we stand together to say that more needs to be done to end overdose in our community,” said Kendra Dilbeck, assistant project manager for prevention at the South Western Oklahoma Development Authority.

“We encourage members of the community with lived experience to stand in solidarity with the men and women who have been personally affected by overdose.”

International Overdose Awareness Day is convened by Penington Institute, an Australian not-for-profit.

This year for the first time, they have announced a campaign theme: Together we can.

“With our theme for 2024, we’re highlighting the strength of coming together and standing in support of those connected to the tragedy of overdose,” Dilbeck said. “While every individual action matters greatly, coming together as an international community creates a powerful collective action.”

A full list of the IOAD 2024 events currently planned around the world can be found at: https:// www. overdoseday. com/ events-2024/ The South Western Oklahoma Development Authority (SWODA) is working on Substance Misuse Prevention in 13 counties in western Oklahoma.

If interested in getting involved with these efforts, contact Dilbeck (kendra@swoda.org) and she will con- nect you with the coalition coordinator in your area.

You can also visit the website at https://www.swoda. org/substance-use-prevention- treatment-and-recovery for more information.

SWODA prevention programs are funded by Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, South Western Oklahoma Development Authority and local coalitions.

International Overdose Awareness Day is an initiative of the public health not-for-profit organization Penington Institute, based in Melbourne, Australia (penington.org.au) – email: info@ overdoseday. com; please find more information about the overdose crisis at overdoseday. com.