Yesterday, 31 August, communities around the world marked International Overdose Awareness Day, this year reaching an important milestone: 25 years since the first event was held in Melbourne, Australia. The 2026 theme, “25 Years On. Still Needed”, carries an uncomfortable but important message. A quarter of a century after people first came together to remember those lost to overdose, raise awareness and challenge stigma, overdose continues to take lives in communities around the world.

International Overdose Awareness Day began in 2001 as a small remembrance gathering at a Salvation Army needle exchange in Melbourne. Penington Institute took the lead in coordinating the campaign in 2012 and helped turn it into a global movement. Today, more than 1,000 events are held annually across over 40 countries, bringing together people who use drugs, families, health professionals, community organisations, policymakers and others affected by overdose.

The anniversary is not only about looking back. Penington Institute stresses that overdose is preventable and that effective responses already exist. Timely access to care and treatment, better information about overdose risks, education on recognising and responding to an overdose, and access to life-saving interventions such as naloxone can all prevent deaths. The campaign also calls for people to speak openly about overdose and substance use, challenge stigma and base responses on evidence, care and respect rather than judgement.

The hope behind this year’s message is that International Overdose Awareness Day will not always be necessary. Yesterday was a day to remember the people who have died and the families and communities carrying those losses, but remembrance must also lead to action. Twenty-five years on, the task remains to make effective prevention and support available to everyone who needs it, so that fewer families have someone to remember next year.

Find more from Penington Institute (August, 2026)