International Overdose Awareness Day: 25 Years On, Still Needed
Today, August 31, is International Overdose Awareness Day, marking its 25th year. It began in 2001 as a local event in Melbourne, Australia, and is now marked with more than 1,000 events in over 40 countries. This year’s theme is “25 Years On. Still Needed.” It is a day to remember the people we have lost, to support the families who grieve them, and to say plainly that overdose deaths are preventable.
The numbers are moving in the right direction, but not fast enough. CDC provisional data estimate 69,147 overdose deaths in the U.S. in the 12 months ending January 2026, a 13.2% drop from the year before. That is still about 190 people a day.
In Maine. 390 people died of overdoses in 2025, down from a peak of 723 in 2022. In the first four months of 2026, deaths fell to 109, from 132 in the same months of 2025. But nonfatal overdoses rose, from 8,045 in 2024 to 9,072 in 2025. More people are surviving, and more people are still at risk.
What you can do today. Carry naloxone: Narcan nasal spray has been sold over the counter since the FDA approved it in March 2023. Reach out to someone you are worried about. And if you have lost someone, you are not alone in that grief.
Where to get help. Call or text 988 (free, confidential, 24/7, including for alcohol and drug concerns). SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357. In Maine, dial 211 for treatment and recovery referrals. In an emergency, call 911.
Sources: Psychiatric Times, “International Overdose Awareness Day Marks 25th Year” (Aug. 31, 2026), citing CDC provisional data; Portland Press Herald, “Maine drug overdose deaths continue to decline so far this year” (June 24, 2026); U.S. FDA, “FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Naloxone Nasal Spray” (March 2023).
