More than 30,000 recent social media posts mentioned International Overdose Awareness Day, celebrated annually on August 31. Organizations and individuals raised awareness about the signs of an opioid overdose and harm reduction tools like naloxone that prevent overdose deaths. Many commenters thanked those sharing these posts, and some shared stories about loved ones who had died from overdoses. In response to a social media post promoting free naloxone at public libraries, most commenters expressed stigmatizing attitudes toward people who use drugs and falsely suggested that providing free naloxone promotes drug use.
Recommendation
An uptick in social media posts about overdoses—along with the observance of National Recovery Month in September—provides an opportunity to emphasize that substance use disorder and overdoses can happen to anyone. Communicators may outline the signs of an opioid overdose and recirculate information about naloxone and other overdose prevention tools. Ongoing messaging about naloxone may emphasize that it can quickly reverse an opioid overdose, that research has found it does not increase drug use, and that experts have consistently attributed declining overdose deaths to the availability of this lifesaving medication.
Fact-checking sources: Indiana Department of Health, CDC Read more insights on opioid-related narratives and see real-time dashboards tracking conversations
