International Overdose Awareness Day 2026: Time to Remember & Act
International Overdose Awareness Day is dedicated to ending overdose and remembering those lost to drug-related deaths. It aims to raise awareness about the devastating impact of overdose, reduce stigma surrounding substance use, and promote evidence-based prevention strategies. The day also honors the grief of families and friends left behind, while encouraging communities to take compassionate action toward support, recovery, and policy change.
Find resources for you or a loved one here.
Harm Reduction
Keep yourself and others safe. Reduce the chance of a fatal overdose (OD).
- Get free naloxone mailed to you
- Get fentanyl test strips, rescue breathing masks, and other harm reduction resources from the MA Health Promotion Clearinghouse
- Learn how to recognize and reverse an OD
- If you’re using alone, call SafeSpot
- Find free overdose prevention and harm reduction trainings from the BeHere Initiative
- Find other harm reduction resources with the Helpline
- Learn about the signs of an opioid overdose and how to respond
- Get new needles and dispose of used ones at a Needle Exchange Program
- Connect with a supportive community at an Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) Program
Grief support and help for families and loved ones
Find support in community. Connect with others living with grief after the death of a loved one from substance use related causes.
- Find peer grief support at SADOD.org
- Find financial support after the loss of a loved one to OD at HALO Initiatives (for now, available for Boston residents only)
- Learn to Cope provides grief support as well as peer support for loved ones affected by substance use disorder
- Find more grief support resources at The Sun Will Rise Foundation
Treatment and recovery support services
- Learn more about treatment
- Learn more about recovery
- Search for treatment and recovery resources near you
- Find a Peer Recovery Support Center
- Get involved in recovery advocacy efforts with MA Organization of Addiction Recovery (MOAR)
- Find other mental health resources, including urgent and crisis care, at the MA Behavioral Health Help Line
