Written by Libby Jones, Associate Vice President, Overdose Prevention Initiative
Global Health Advocacy Incubator
Every International Overdose Awareness Day, communities around the world come together to remember the people who died from overdose, support the families, friends and communities living with that loss, and take action to prevent future deaths.
In my work, I have seen firsthand what is possible when people can access the support they need and what happens when those supports are out of reach.
Remembrance matters. But remembrance alone will not prevent the next overdose.
While we celebrate that overdose deaths are declining, it is imperative that leaders protect the programs, services and investments that helped make that progress possible. Recent federal data show overdose deaths moving in the right direction. That's good news, but we can’t use good news as a reason to claim premature victory.
When overdose deaths fall, some policymakers want to start asking what programs can be cut. Instead, they should be asking what programs are working and must be protected.
One of the most important lessons I take from the recent decline in overdose deaths is that progress follows investment.
Fewer deaths did not occur by accident. They followed years of work by people in communities, investments by public agencies and policy changes that expanded access to care. More people were able to access naloxone. More people gained access to evidence-based treatment. Harm reduction organizations strengthened connections to services. Peer support specialists helped people navigate recovery. Communities built systems that made it easier for people to stay alive long enough to pursue treatment and recovery.
The lesson is straightforward: people cannot benefit from services they cannot access. When people have access to support, survival is possible.
At the Overdose Prevention Initiative, we start from a simple belief that has guided our work for years: overdose prevention depends on a connected system of care. People should be able to access evidence-based treatment when they are ready for it and remain connected to care without avoidable disruptions. They should also have access to naloxone, harm reduction services, stable housing, peer support, education and other services that help sustain health and recovery. No single intervention is sufficient on its own. Durable progress depends on whether these supports work together.
There is also a reality we cannot ignore. According to the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, only 16 percent of people who needed substance use treatment received it. In plain terms, millions of people who could benefit from care still cannot get it. A nation can reduce overdose deaths and still leave enormous gaps in access to treatment and support.
That is why I believe policymakers need to hear directly from people whose lives are shaped by these decisions. During National Recovery Month, GHAI will launch Brave Recovery: The Women Impacted, a series highlighting women whose lives intersect with substance use, recovery, overdose prevention and policy change. Their experiences offer more than personal stories. They provide insight and lessons into how federal, state and local decisions affect real people and where systems succeed or fall short.
On September 24, we will also host our fifth annual congressional naloxone training. It is a practical reminder that awareness alone is not enough. Policymakers and staff should understand the realities of the overdose crisis and have the skills to respond when an overdose occurs.
Congress and the administration should protect reliable funding, maintain access to treatment and strengthen the community-based services that help prevent overdose and connect people to care. The recent decline in overdose deaths gives us reason for hope. It does not give us permission to become complacent. We will support effective policies wherever they come from and challenge decisions that restrict access to care or destabilize services.
The country should not look at declining overdose deaths and ask how we can do less. It should ask what must be protected so that more people have the chance to survive, recover and thrive.
That is the question I hope policymakers, advocates and communities will carry with them this International Overdose Awareness Day and throughout the year ahead.
