08/31/2026
For 25 years, International Overdose Awareness Day has brought communities together to remember the lives lost to overdose and advocate for change. The fact that this day is still needed reminds us that our work is far from over.
At Phoenix Society, we believe everyone deserves dignity, respect, and access to care: without judgment or stigma.
Research shows that overdose prevention works. Harm reduction services, safer-consumption supplies, naloxone, overdose prevention services, and meaningful connections to health care and community supports save lives.
But access to these services is only part of the solution. We must also challenge the stigma and systemic barriers that prevent people who use substances from accessing care in the first place.
We will continue to advocate for evidence-informed, compassionate approaches that meet people where they are and recognize substance use as a health and social issue. Not a moral deficiency.
Because every life has value.
Because everyone deserves care.
And because support, not stigma, saves lives.