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Uniting as a Community to Educate, Equip, Embrace, and Celebrate
August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day, and Full Life Counseling will be uniting with surrounding communities to actively give voice to those who might otherwise suffer in silence. Community members will gather at beautiful Grace Court in Historic West End at 7:30pm on Wednesday, August 31st to educate, equip, embrace and celebrate. This event will provide the community with a chance to memorialize the beautiful lives cut short by addiction and overdose, offer families a safe place to grieve, educate about the life saving overdose reversal drug, Narcan, and celebrate beautiful lives saved with overdose reversals.
In the United States, 43,982 people die every year from an overdose – that’s 120 deaths to overdose per day (IODAD). The residents of High Point recently experienced 25 overdoses in just 16 short days (WFMY). As the national addiction epidemic spreads and the rate of overdose continues to overwhelm families near and far, there exists a need for a safe place to unite as a community. For families who have lost loved ones to overdose, the impact of that amazing person in their lives has not been forgotten. By saying their names, bringing their pictures, and telling their stories, Winston-Salem can make their voices heard long after they’re gone. In doing so, the community can also provide support for families who have not always had a safe place to grieve.
Sharing stories of hope and recovery from those who have successfully been saved by the overdose reversal drug, nalaxone or Narcan, will be part of Winston-Salem’s Overdose Awareness Day. By providing information about the miracle of naloxone and its ability to save lives, citizens can reinforce the concept that recovery can be possible if all people are given a chance. That requires that Narcan be made available to those who need it most! Community organizers will be discussing how to get Narcan and demonstrate how it can be used to reverse an overdose in hopes of getting someone the further medical attention they need.
Overdose doesn’t have to be the end of the story. There is so much that happens for families after an overdose and, by uniting as a community, Winston-Salem can stand together in strength and in hope to face this epidemic. No one has to walk this path alone. Overdose is real, and it’s happening – but Winston-Salem citizens don’t have to turn a blind eye or be afraid to talk about it.
About Full Life Counseling & Full Life Transitions Founded in 2009 by Ginny Mills, MAEd, LPC-S, LCAS, Full Life Counseling and Recovery is a Winston-Salem and Raleigh-based addiction-specific counseling practice offering individual counseling, assessments, residential treatment matching services, and Gorski-model relapse prevention groups. Founded in 2011, Full Life Transitions is a Winston-Salem-based sober living community for men and women over 20 years old who desire to live full, vibrant and healthy lives in early sobriety after completing residential treatment. Residents attend 12-step meetings while receiving comprehensive clinical support from Full Life’s licensed and credentialed clinical team.
Release ID: 129663