The 10th annual Overdose Awareness event in Gardner is Wednesday: why you should go

The loss of a loved one to a drug overdose has a long-lasting effect on families. Still, the International Overdose Awareness Day event gives those families a safe space to speak up about the issue and destigmatize addiction.

Overdose victims will be memorialized at the annual International Overdose Awareness Day and Night event at Monument Park on Wednesday, Aug. 28, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The event will also showcase addiction recovery resources for both addicts and their families and allow families of overdose victims and recovering addicts who survived an overdose to speak on their experiences. The event will end at 8:30 p.m., and a luminary lighting ceremony at City Hall will occur immediately after.

The Kevin James Fletcher Family Foundation , with the help of Alyssa's Place , GAAMHA , the A.E.D Foundation , and this year, the Winchendon CAC , organizes the event annually.

Why are overdose deaths decreasing?

In 2022, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2,357 people died of fatal overdoses, but this past year, 2023, there was a 10% reduction in overdose deaths .

Jackie Blanchard, Alyssa's Place program director, said last year, 2125 people died of an overdose, which means 232 fewer people died from an overdose in 2023. She said she thinks the education, awareness, and the increasing accessibility of Narcan are three of the reasons why overdose deaths decreased.

"Through spreading awareness and education and making sure we get Narcan out into the hands of our community members," she said. "If somebody has Narcan, then they're able to save a life, and where there is breath, there's life, and then that person can get help to recover."

More: Need Narcan? Here are five places to get it free and six pharmacies where you can buy it

Alyssa's Place will hand out free Narcan at the event. If you aren't able to attend the event, Alyssa's Place is an active Massachusetts Controlled Substance Registration (MCSR) , so anyone can get free Narcan from the non-profit at 297 Central St. in Gardner during business hours: Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.

All are welcome to the community event

All are welcome: children, adults, recovering addicts, their families, and even people who don't have loved ones who are addicts. Blanchard said this event is a place to spread awareness, resources, and education to stop the drug addiction epidemic in Massachusetts and across the country.

Between 300 and 400 people are expected to attend this year; Blanchard said a lot of the attendees are not recovering addicts or family members of recovering addicts but people from the community who are there to learn and support others.

"It's really impactful for people to see the slideshow, and it creates a story that this is somebody's loved one, somebody's brother, and here's their mother and father," she said. "When you're at the event and look around, you realize how many people are affected by this epidemic."

Addicts and their families are not alone

Blanchard said although this is a somber event memorializing the lives of people who died due to an overdose, they also have to make it an event for recovering addicts and their loved ones to gain hope and see that they are not alone.

"The reality of that is, some of these children there have their parents on that screen, their grandparents are on that screen, and that's their reality," she said. "First of all, you're not alone. There are so many people who are going through this or have gone through this, and we can help with grief groups or with groups so they can learn how to help their loved ones or to help themselves."

People who want to attend but aren't recovering addicts or have a loved one who is struggling with addiction are still welcome; Blanchard said people need to come to the event with compassion.

"Having compassion and wanting to learn more about this will help everyone to see who the person who is struggling with addiction actually is," she said. " We were all children with dreams and goals, and sometimes things don't work out, and being judgmental and thinking that addicts wanted this life does not help anyone."

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: The 10th annual Overdose Awareness event in Gardner is Wednesday: why you should go