Overdose Awareness Day 2025

IOAD 2025 theme: One big family, driven by hope

Event Details:

QuIVAA , QuIHN and the Queensland Mental Health Commission invite you to join us to mark Overdose Awareness Day on Friday August 29th at Brisbane Parliament House in the Premiers Hall. 

Ensure that you arrive at registration by 9.30am and bring along photo id.
Please be mindful Parliament House conducts security checks upon entry.

Event Information:

Each year around International Overdose Awareness Day, we come together as one big family to take action on overdose.

The overdose crisis doesn’t just shatter our families, it fractures our communities. 

The losses go deeper than one person, one family or one neighborhood. They ripple out into classrooms, workplaces and the spaces we all share. They cross borders between cities, states and nations. 

But in a time when people are searching for connection and safety, overdose also reminds us that our lives are deeply intertwined. 

We often instinctively protect our own – our children, our parents, our siblings. We believe in second chances for our loved ones but struggle to extend that same compassion to others. But what if we saw each other as one big family, bound not just by blood, but by shared experiences, responsibility and commitment to each other? 

This International Overdose Awareness Day let’s imagine a new meaning of what family can be. A family driven by hope, love and action. We are one big family – not just because we share in the pain of loss, but because we share in the power to change what comes next. 

This August, we move beyond awareness. We organize, we show up, and we take action. Because no one should carry this grief alone. Every story shared, every voice raised and every step we take brings us closer to a future free from overdose. 

Join our family this IOAD, with others including peers, family members, activists, healthcare workers and advocates. By coming together, we can create a significant impact in our fight against overdose.

Share your experience with #OneBigFamily #DrivenByHope #IOAD2025 #EndOverdose  

We look forward to seeing you there and working together towards our shared goal of ending overdoses.