... is a day to acknowledge individual loss and family grief for people who have suffered overdose.

August 31 

                                                                                   Reflection Piece on 25 years of IOAD and the fact it's still needed.    

                                                                                   Poem for IOAD 2025 by Sally J Finn whose heart goes out to all those who've lost a loved-one to overdose.

                                                                                  Speech given to the Yarra Drug and Health Forum about Overdose Day and Harm Reduction more generally.

                                                                                        Poem for IOAD 2024 by Sally J Finn who sends out strength and love to all those effected by overdose.                 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Address to the Victorian Harm Reduction Network meeting in the lead up to IOAD 2023 here 

                                                                                                                                                        Q & A article with Salvos' Central here

                                                                                          SJ Finn is joined by two other in this Interview with Well, Well, Well, Joy Radio Melbourne Audio Only

                                                                                    Essay at Penington Institute: Fear and Loathing: stereotyping drug users has become a deadly matter

                                                                                    Essay at Overland Literary Journal: Why has naloxone been kept from those who need it?

                                                                                                                                                       SJ Finn interview on Joy Radio 26 minute mark onwards 

                                                                                                                                                       SJ Finn reading a poem here for remembrance 2020         

                                                                                                                                                       SJ Finn talking here to the national Salvos AOD program on IOAD

                                                                                                                                                       For footage of Sally J Finn discussing IOAD go here         

                                                                                                                                                       Remix (for fun) of Harm Reduction statement - April 2021

                                                                                                                                                       2009 film made by SJ Finn and Adrian Price for IOAD 

                                                                                                                                                       2009 film made by SJ Finn and Adrean Price for IOAD

At its heart, Overdose Awareness Day is a day to commemorate the death of a loved-one.

For friends and family members, life partners and work colleagues, the shock and sadness of losing someone to overdose is heart wrenching. Equal to the pain felt whenever a loved-one passes away, it is however a grief complicated by the stigma of drug use, by the shame and discrimination that stigma generates. There are also those among us living with permanent injuries as a direct result of overdose. These people are often unseen in our community and, after suffering the ramifications of a non-fatal overdose, experience on-going stigma.

As death and injury to people who suffer overdose is felt across every socio-economic and cultural span of the world, Overdose Awareness Day knows no boundary. And, intrinsic to the day is the opportunity for all communities to acknowledge that drugs and the possibility they can cause overdose, are a part of all our lives. And so, we draw together to oppose the regime of legistlative policies which are not only punitive but create black markets and increase the chance of poisoning as the potency of substances increases for the simple reason that smaller amounts can be transported from unregulated manufacturers to those purchasing their product.

Added to this and intrinsic to lowering the death toll from overdose, we must disassemble the structures that have built road blocks to discussion and education. Until all of us are able to speak with candor and seek help without threat of punishment, the danger remains. Until we back up our rhetoric in regard to drug use being a health issue and deconstruct the frameworks that drives the narrative of weakness of character, overdose will continue to occur. Fear and prejudice are not our allies. And, as long  as we engaged with that way of thinking, we will continue to fail everyone. And so, I believe in undoing the practice of engaging law enforcement to deal with something that is a part of us, including the way we live. This will mean, not only the irradication of divisions between us, but will also lead more of us to thrive. Only then, when all drugs have been brought under the umbrella of regulation, will many of the harms disappear, including deaths and permanent injuries. Liberated by the diminishment of the legal focus on drug use, we will be able to talk about the properties of drugs in a nuanced and truthful manner. Liberation equates to safety. And trust and respect will mean more inclusive environments for all of us. 

Of course, there will always be the need for care to be taken. Already we know so much that would help to keep people safe. From the provision of naloxone to the opening of supervised injecting facilities or drug consumption room, from expanding equity to the best treatment services and keeping people free from becoming criminalised, the options to move forward are many and varied. And, it is through the stories of those who are effected - stories told by partners and parents and children and friends - that provide our greatest source of guidance.

This is why on August 31, communities all over the world, gather together to raise our voices as one, so that a light might be shone on overdose. And as we gather in solidarity to say what we know to be true: that these deaths are preventable deaths, so too do we reach out and cast a protective net over all of us: all our children and parents and friends and partners. 

Overdose Day, therefore, is a day to hold up a banner for what we know will work to lower the impact of all harms from drug use, including death. It is a day that aims to cast off the burdens of secrets and to relinquish guilt. It is a day to celebrate life and the joy all of us bring. It is a day to recognises that no matter how the path of life was followed, a person should not be diminished because aspects of that person's life are deemed undesirable. And so, we release a symbol, the silver badge, into the community to signify that overdose is a cause of death and injury that for many means the loss of someone who can never be replaced.

Sally J Finn

Founder of International Overdose Awareness Day