August is a meaningful month for recovery communities.
On August 20, communities across the country recognize National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day. Just over a week later, on August 31, we observe International Overdose Awareness Day.
These important dates provide opportunities to increase awareness, share life-saving information, challenge stigma, honor those we have lost, and stand beside the families and communities affected by overdose and accidental poisoning.
Since the inception of THRIVE Recovery Centers in 2017, Family & Children’s Association has collaborated with community partners to host an annual Remembrance Ceremony in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day.
Each year, families, loved ones, members of the recovery community, community stakeholders, local government representatives, and service providers come together for a shared purpose: to honor and remember the people we have lost.
The ceremony is both incredibly cathartic and deeply emotional.
It creates space for grief while reminding us that the people we have lost were more than the circumstances surrounding their deaths. They were loved. They had families, friendships, dreams, talents, memories, and stories that continue to live through the people who carry them forward.
One of the most meaningful moments of the evening is the Reading of Names.
At THRIVE Suffolk, the lights are turned off and the names of those we have lost are read aloud by candlelight. For a few quiet moments, each person is acknowledged, each life is honored, and each name is remembered.
There is sadness, but there is also love.
There is grief, but there is also connection.
And there is a profound recognition that no one should have to carry this kind of loss in isolation.
When we gather together, we create a space where people do not have to hide their pain. Families can speak the names of their loved ones. Friends can share memories. Members of the recovery community can honor people who may have once walked beside them. Community members can stand together and acknowledge the devastating impact that overdose and accidental poisoning continue to have on so many lives.
In that shared space, remembrance becomes an act of love.
This August, we invite our community to learn, listen, speak openly, and support those affected by substance use and overdose. Together, we can honor those we have lost while continuing to work toward a future in which fewer families experience this kind of grief.
We remember. We honor. We continue.
For information about upcoming International Overdose Awareness Day programming, including the annual Remembrance Ceremony and Reading of Names, please visit THRIVELI.org and reach out to THRIVE Suffolk at 631-822-3396.