The International Overdose Awareness Day is observed annually on Aug. 30 with an aim to raise awareness about drug overdose, which is a major cause of premature death in several age groups.

First observed in 2001, it is a day to remember all those people who have been lost to drug overdose and also those who have successfully managed to come out of addiction.

"The campaign raises awareness of overdose, which is one of the world’s worst public health crises, and stimulates action and discussion about evidence-based overdose prevention and drug policy. The campaign acknowledges the profound grief felt by families and friends whose loved ones have died or suffered permanent injury from a drug overdose and spreads the message about the tragedy of drug overdose death and that drug overdose is preventable," the official website for International Overdose Awareness Day states.

On this occasion, here are a few powerful anti-drug quotes to raise awareness, courtesy Voice From The Blogs and Everyday Power -

  • "Happiness is not to be found at the bottom of a bottle or from the tip of a needle; it is not to be found amidst a cloud of smoke or within a sugar-coated pill. If you look for it in these places, you will find naught but despair." ― Wayne Gerard Trotman
  • "I have absolutely no pleasure in the stimulants in which I sometimes so madly indulge. It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of some strange impending doom." ― Edgar Allan Poe
  • "Addiction begins with the hope that something ‘out there’ can instantly fill up the emptiness inside." ― Jean Kilbourne
  • "Drugs are a waste of time. They destroy your memory and your self-respect and everything that goes along with your self-esteem." ― Kurt Cobain
  • "The mentality and behavior of drug addicts and alcoholics are wholly irrational until you understand that they are completely powerless over their addiction and unless they have structured help, they have no hope." ― Russell Brand
Drug Awareness
Drug Awareness (Photo Credit: Pixabay)
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