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International Overdose Awareness Day 2026: 25 Years On. Still Needed
International Overdose Awareness Day 2026
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Every August 31, International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) brings a global community together to take action on overdose. Hold an event, spread the message, take action today.

This year the theme for IOAD is 25 Years On. Still Needed.

For 25 years, International Overdose Awareness Day has brought people together to remember those we’ve lost and to take action to save lives. 

 The truth is, we shouldn’t still need this day.  But we do. 

 Overdose continues to affect every community. Yet it can be prevented. We know how to reduce risk and keep people safe. By speaking openly, learning from one another, and treating each other with care and respect, we build a world where fewer lives are lost. 

 Because while this day is still needed, it doesn’t have to be forever. 

#IOAD2026 #OverdoseAware #EndOverdose 

Overdose is preventable – when we act

What we stand for

International Overdose Awareness Day is driven by the following principles...
Overdose can and must be prevented
Overdose prevention solutions exist – let’s use them.
Criminalizing drug use hasn’t worked. Compassionate alternatives must be pursued.
Policy and legislation must exist to protect individuals and communities, and ensure basic human rights and needs are met.
Everyone has a right to respectful and comprehensive health care.
Only a community-wide effort can end overdose.
Join us to take action on overdose today.

Ways to get involved

Hold an event

Host or attend an International Overdose Awareness Day event to remember those lost to overdose, learn more about overdose, or advocate for change to end overdose.

Get resources

Download our campaign, advocacy and education resources and share messages about overdose and overdose prevention in your community or workplace today.

Post a tribute

Post a tribute to a loved one who has passed away from an overdose on the International Overdose Awareness Day tribute page. 

Get merchandise

Buying and wearing merchandise is a great way to show your support and spread the messages of International Overdose Awareness Day.

2025 IOAD Partners' Report

Download our 2025 report now to find out more about the impact of our collective efforts to end overdose.

Tributes from the community

Nikita Jade Snyder

August 14th 2026, will be 2 1/2 years since you left us. Everyday has been a battle to get up and down this thing called life. It’s a reminder all over again that you’re no longer with us and it’s a hard pill to swallow. The boys miss you terribly. You would be so proud of all their accomplishments and who they are becoming. We know you are with us though. The butterflies that fly around around us, for what seems like forever. The wind that blows gently on us. Always finding things in the shape of a heart. Seeing cardinals appear when we need them. The gentle feeling that you’re here with us, even though we can’t see you! You are like a dandelion now, wild and free. That was always your spirit. Fly high baby girl, fly high. I hope you are pain free. We miss and love you so much. Till we see each other again, RIP My Beautiful Angel

... Holly

Duane Whaley

My loving and talented brother who lost is life too soon. We miss him so much!

... Shasta

Darcy

3 years on and I still think “I should call Darcy” then the grief hits.
Reality is I lost you a long time before your final breath. By far one of the worst days of my life but I hope you have finally found your peace. Whether your actions were intentional or not, I’m not angry anymore, I don’t blame myself anymore.
I miss you my uncle.

... Sid

Louann Hasse Nunn

My beloved little sister, you fought a hard fight, and I am so sorry for the pain you suffered, but now you are at peace. I miss your big, bright smile and fun sense of humor and generous heart. You were beautiful inside and out. Thank you so much for sharing my childhood, all the memories I hold in my heart, memories that only the two of us shared. How I wish I could have saved you! Losing you was a TRAGEDY! You live on in my heart forever. I love you always precious, baby sister Louann, beautiful one.
Rest in peace.
Your big sister

... Pam

My husband, Mark

My love will never fade…..my heart will never be whole…..half of my soul is with you…..sending hugs and kisses

... Lisa

My nephew Daniel (Danny) Pellegrino

Dan, October 20, 2024, is a day forever etched into my mind—the worst day of my life.

It was the day I went to the place you called “the store,” the place where you spent so much time with the person you considered your best friend. It was also the place where I found you.

Cold. Alone. Gone.

I searched for you. At first, I couldn’t find you among the clutter, garbage, and junk piled throughout the room. Then I saw you. You were lying on your side, arranged in a way that made it appear as though you had passed peacefully.

But I knew better. Your back surgery never allowed you to sleep in that position.

Something wasn’t right. I knelt beside you and touched you, hoping somehow I could wake you up.

You were cold. I bent down a second time and whispered in your ear: “I love you. I will always love you.”

Then I walked outside, found a police officer, and from that moment on, the nightmare only grew. Days turned into weeks as we waited for answers. J

ust after Christmas, we finally learned how you died. Learning the circumstances of your death brought deep shock and heartbreak, and we continue to live with many unanswered questions.

You struggled in life. I won’t deny that. But those particular drugs were not part of your story.

In fact, the night before your mother last saw you, you told her something she had prayed to hear. You said you were tired of using. You said you didn’t like that life anymore. You wanted to get clean.

You wanted a future. You wanted better.

You were trying to move on.

That is why I will never stop questioning what happened. There are things that don’t make sense.

And so I sit with the questions that never leave me. I think about all the times I warned you about that friendship.

You helped others fight for sobriety.

Because that’s who you were, Danny. You helped people. You cared about people. You gave pieces of yourself away every day without expecting anything in return.

I think of the elderly neighbors whose trash you carried, whose groceries you unloaded, whose cars you dug out after snowstorms—never asking for a dime. I think of the doors you opened, the chairs you pulled out, the respect you showed to everyone you met. I think of the homeless people you fed. The clothes, shoes, and jackets you gave away—sometimes literally off your own back. Even now, I still run into people who tell me stories about your kindness. Stories I never heard when you were alive. Story after story about the good you put into this world. And every time I hear one, I ask the same question: Why?

Why was someone with such a huge heart taken away? Why did your life end so soon? Why you?

There is never an answer. Only pain. I close my eyes and I still see you lying on that cold floor. I remember having to help plan your funeral. I remember helping choose your urn. I remember having to tell your oldest son that his father was gone. I remember finding you—something neither of us ever would have wanted.

We were thick as thieves, Danny. We shared a bond that cannot be replaced. And now the distance between us feels impossible. My heart aches every day for one more conversation, one more laugh, one more chance to tell you how much you were loved. Now all I have are photographs, memories, and a handful of personal belongings that I cherish more than words can express. I wear your ashes every single day. You go everywhere with me.

And I still cry—almost every day—because I miss you so much. I love you, Danny. You should not have left this world the way you did. It was not your time. But no matter how much time passes, you will never be forgotten. You are loved. You are remembered. And you will always be missed. Forever.

I love you Danny. Always.

... Love Auntie