International Overdose Awareness Day is celebrated on 31 August every year. It is a chance to bring issues to light about drug overdose, reduce the stigma around the topic, decrease the shame of a drug-related death, and expanded access to overdose-related services. It likewise recognizes the grief felt by families and companions recalling the individuals who have passed on or had a permanent physical issue because of a drug overdose. 

It is likewise a chance to stimulate discussion about evidence-based overdose prevention and drug policy. For individuals who infuse drugs (PWID), a deadly drug overdose is an occupational hazard.

In India, overdose deaths are especially normal among road-based drug clients in greater urban communities. Regularly, these deaths are not detailed or even recorded inspired by a paranoid fear of lawful results.

Like most nations, Indian law condemns unlawful drug use. At the point when somebody overdoses, they look for clinical assistance if all else fails, not having any desire to manage the likelihood that the police may be called to the clinic.

 Any individual who has seen an overdose will inform you regarding disappointment and vulnerability. The degree of the issue in India is obscure, as there is minimal solid information on the yearly number of drug overdose deaths. 

Assessments by NGOs working in the field demonstrate that in territories with elevated levels of infusing drug use, many individuals die from overdose every year. These cases are of principal because of blending drugs or the utilization of drugs of poor or obscure quality.

Those who use drugs or know individuals who do consistently should know about the basic perils of utilizing drugs in the mix. Individuals who have been attempting to stop or have been abstinent for some time —, for example, after a treatment program or detainment—are more inclined to overdose than the individuals who normally use drugs.

Stopping overdose-related deaths can require only a couple of straightforward advances like a Naloxone infusion in time can spare an individual's life. What is required is to guarantee that Naloxone — a drug listed for India's National List of Essential Medicines — is promptly accessible at all open human services offices. But sadly this isn't yet the situation. In various ongoing cases, the crisis ward has had no Naloxone accessible. Family members or companions of the overdosing PWID have needed to run around to find Naloxone from close by drug stores, where they are charged 10-to 20-times the real cost by staff who misuse the criticalness of the circumstance.

Naloxone is an integral and necessary part of effective programming for PWID, but it still needs to be fully integrated into India’s national program.

Alliance India has fused overdose prevention and management into the harm reduction services provided to PWID under the Hridaya program. Their Asia Action program supplements these endeavors by backing for extended admittance to Naloxone and different intercessions to lessen overdose-related deaths.

In India, CAHR is called 'Hridaya' and is actualized by India HIV/AIDS Alliance in association with SASO, Sharan, and various network-based damage to decrease associations and systems. This program helps construct the limit of specialist co-ops, makes harm decrease programs more sex responsive, and improves admittance to administrations and promoters for the privileges of PWIDs. Notwithstanding offering types of assistance, Hridaya has a solid limit building segment to help to back, information the executives and improved administrations for PWIDs.

The objectives of the International Overdose Awareness Day are:

To give a chance to individuals to openly grieve friends and family in a sheltered situation, some just because without feeling blame or disgrace. To remember the best number of individuals for International Overdose Awareness Day occasions, and support non-denominational contribution. To give network individuals data about the issue of lethal and non-deadly overdose. To send a solid message to current and previous individuals who use tranquilizes that they are esteemed. To invigorate conversation about overdose avoidance and drug strategy. To give essential data on the scope of help benefits those are accessible. To forestall and lessen tranquilize related mischief by supporting proof-based arrangement and practice. To advise individuals around the globe about the danger of overdose.

International Overdose Awareness Day spreads the message that the tragedy of overdose death is preventable.  So join Alliance India in solidarity with companions from everywhere on over the world as we recall the individuals who have passed away and commit once again to our efforts to end the epidemic of overdose-related deaths.