Athens

International Overdose Awareness Day – 31 August
This event brings together community members, advocates, professionals, and allies to honor the lives lost to overdose and to stand with those who continue to face stigma, exclusion, and systemic neglect. Overdose deaths are not inevitable — they are preventable. They reflect gaps in public health systems, social inequality, and the absence of adequate support for people who use drugs.

Our message is rooted in lived experience. For many, the phrase “You Want Us Dead” expresses the pain of being treated as disposable, invisible, or unworthy of care. On International Overdose Awareness Day, we transform that cry into a collective demand:
“We Deserve Life.”

This event highlights overdose as a matter of public health and human rights. It calls for evidence‑based harm reduction policies, access to life‑saving tools such as naloxone, safe consumption spaces, housing and social support, and the dismantling of stigma that prevents people from seeking help.

Through moments of remembrance, personal testimonies, artistic expression, and public dialogue, we honor those who are no longer with us and support those who continue to struggle. We advocate for policies that protect life, promote dignity, and ensure that no one is left behind.

International Overdose Awareness Day is not only a day of mourning — it is a day of responsibility, solidarity, and action.
From “You Want Us Dead” to “We Deserve Life,” we stand together to demand a future where every life is valued.