Free narcan training and a remembrance event will mark International Overdose Awareness Day in Ventnor on Thursday.
The day is meant to raise awareness along with reducing the stigma of drug-related deaths.
Anyone looking to learn how to administer naloxone — which can reverse the affects of an opiate overdose — is invited to the Ventnor Community Library from 2 to 4 p.m.
Then, at 6 p.m., a remembrance will be held on the beach behind the library at Newport Avenue.
Anyone who wants their loved one remembered can send their name to staff@speakersforchange.org.
Drug overdose is the leading cause of death in the United States, with 52,404 overdose deaths in 2015, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
Of those, more than 38 percent — or 20,101 — were from prescription pain relievers. Heroin accounted for 12,990 overdose deaths, or almost a quarter.
The organizers are asking those who attend to wear white, signifying hope for others.
Attendees should all bring a beach chair or blanket. In the case of rain, the remembrance will move inside the community center or library.
For more information, please call Tracy Smith at 609-445-5121.
Tell your story
BreakingAC is also looking for stories on the people affected by drugs. How did you or a loved one get started in addiction? Was it experimentation? Doctor prescribed pain relief? Something else?
Please email lyndacohen@breakingac.com
