One Big Family, Driven By Hope

August 1, 2025

Candlelight Vigil August 31, 2025 International Overdose Awareness Day

Nicolette Dalhamer, Author & CEO, Evolve 2gether LLC, and Founder/President, The Helen VanNatta Memorial Foundation Inc.

Tom O'Connor, Editor & Publisher

Author Nicolette Dalhamer is a Vital Voyage Editorial Advisory Board member and a frequent author. 

According to Nicolette Dalhamer: 

Every year on August 31, people worldwide come together for a cause that is painfully personal to many—International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD). This day is more than just a date on the calendar; it's a powerful movement. It's an opportunity to grieve, remember, educate, and, most importantly, spark change.

The theme for IOAD 2025, "One big family, driven by hope," reminds us that while overdose may claim lives and devastate families, hope still endures. It exists within our communities, our efforts, our connections, and our collective resolve to make a difference. Together, as one global family, we hold power to shine a light on this crisis and to move forward united in compassion and action.

Why International Overdose Awareness Day Matters

In communities across every continent, overdose continues to silently take lives—leaving behind shattered families, friends, and futures. Many of these deaths are preventable, yet stigma and misunderstanding persist, isolating those struggling with substance use.

International Overdose Awareness Day is a global campaign that aims to:

Raise Awareness

The statistics are staggering—and behind each number is a human life. IOAD seeks to highlight the rising overdose death toll and the grief it causes. This is not an isolated issue. It affects every socioeconomic background, regardless of race, gender, or age group. Overdose does not discriminate—and neither should our empathy.

Reduce Stigma

For too long, overdose and substance use disorders have been burdened with shame. Families grieve silently. Survivors carry invisible scars. IOAD challenges this harmful silence. It opens conversations. It encourages kindness over judgment. It reminds us that addiction is a health condition—not a moral failure—and that healing begins with understanding.

Remember Those We've Lost

Whether it's a mother, a father, a child, a best friend, or a neighbor—IOAD provides a sacred space to say their names, to light a candle in their honor, and to remind the world that their lives mattered. Every story is unique, and every life lost leaves an unfilled void. But through collective remembrance, we find strength and solidarity.

Encourage Action and Change

Honoring the past means shaping a safer future. IOAD urges communities to promote evidence-based prevention, expand access to treatment and recovery services, and advocate for laws and policies that protect vulnerable individuals. It's about more than awareness—it's about movement.

"One Big Family, Driven by Hope" — What This Theme Means in 2025

Hope is a quiet, persistent force. It's what allows families to keep advocating after loss. It's what fuels organizations that support harm reduction and recovery. It's what drives those in active addiction to reach out for help—and keep trying, even after setbacks.

The 2025 theme emphasizes the importance of community. Recovery doesn't happen in isolation. Prevention doesn't happen in silence. It takes a village—a global family—coming together to lift each other and push for better.

This theme is a call to action for all of us, regardless of our backgrounds or experiences. Whether you're a grieving parent, a counselor, a policymaker, a survivor, or simply someone who cares—your role in this family matters. Together, we can offer hope. Together, we can make a difference.

How You Can Get Involved in International Overdose Awareness Day 2025

If you're wondering how you can help, know that every effort counts—big or small. Here are some meaningful ways to honor IOAD and become part of the movement:

Attend or Host an Event: Candlelight vigils, lantern ceremonies, memorial walks, and overdose prevention training sessions are held worldwide in honor of IOAD. Hosting or attending one not only pays tribute to lives lost—it also fosters education and community. These events offer a safe space for reflection, remembrance, and learning.

Educate Yourself and Others: Knowledge is power. Learn about the signs of overdose, the importance of naloxone (Narcan), and the truth about substance use disorders. Share what you learn with friends, family, and coworkers. Understanding the realities of addiction can save lives.

Use Social Media to Spread the Word:  Your voice has power. Share personal stories, post educational content, and use hashtags like #EndOverdose and #OverdoseAwareness to amplify the message and raise awareness. Raising awareness online helps reduce stigma and reach people who may be silently struggling.

Wear Purple or Silver: Something as simple as wearing a purple ribbon or silver badge can open the door to conversations and show your support. When someone asks why you're wearing it, it gives you a chance to tell them about IOAD—and why it matters.

 

Support Prevention and Recovery Organizations: Donate to or volunteer with nonprofits and local initiatives that provide critical resources—like harm reduction supplies, support groups, sober housing, or mental health services. Your time, voice, and dollars help fuel change.

Advocate for Change: Contact your elected officials. Urge them to support harm reduction policies, increase access to affordable treatment, fund overdose prevention initiatives, and expand mental health care. Policy change starts with pressure from the people.

Grief With Purpose: Remembering and Honoring Lives Lost is perhaps the most potent part of IOAD, the chance to say names aloud—names often spoken only in whispered tears or hidden in shadows. 

Behind every overdose is a life that was beautiful, complex, and deserving of dignity. Many people grieving a loved one lost to an overdose grapple with guilt, shame, or societal judgment. IOAD reminds us: You are not alone. 

Your grief is valid. Your pain is real. And your loved one deserves to be remembered with love, not stigma. Organizations like The Helen VanNatta Memorial Foundation emerged from this pain. They turned it into a purpose—helping families give their lost loved ones a proper, respectful burial because no one should have to choose between mourning and affording a funeral. Because compassion shouldn't come with a price.

In a world that often feels weighed down by loss, hope is revolutionary. Maybe you've never lost someone to overdose—but you care. Perhaps you're in recovery and fighting for your future. Perhaps you're a parent who worries about your child. Maybe you're a first responder who's tired of carrying Narcan in one hand and grief in the other.

Wherever you stand, know this: You are needed. You are not powerless. And your action, no matter how small it may seem, could be the exact spark someone else needs to hold on.

A Message to Those Who Are Still Struggling

If you are still battling substance use—please know: you matter. Your life is worth saving. There is no shame in asking for help. There is no weakness in admitting you're tired. And there is no expiration date on hope.

Recovery is possible. Healing is possible. You are not alone.

In Closing: Together, We Remember. Together, We Rise.

On August 31, 2025, the world will once again come together—not just to mourn, but to take action. To speak truth in a world that too often looks away. To raise voices silenced by stigma. And to build a future where no one dies alone from an overdose, and no family grieves in silence.

Let us stand together—one big family, driven by hope.

Let us light our lanterns, wear our purple, share our stories, and never stop fighting for the day when this crisis no longer defines us. 

• Because every life lost is one too many. 

• Because love is louder than stigma.

• Because hope is the heartbeat of change. 

• Because they mattered, and they always will.

  
  

If you or someone you love is struggling, please reach out for help.

You are not alone. Help is available. Hope is real.

To learn more about International Overdose Awareness Day, find local events, or get involved, visit www.overdoseday.com. Vital Voyage has compiled a list of regional events located on its site. Visit www.vitalvoyageblog.com for details.

Nicolette Dalhammer can be reached at ndalhamer88@gmail.com.

If you enjoyed this article, 

Please forward this to a friend or colleague who might benefit from it!