Overdose Awareness Day offers time for bereaved families to remember loved ones

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Renfrewshire residents will come together today to remember those who have died or have suffered permanent injuries due to a drug overdose.Observed on August 31 every year, International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) seeks to create better understanding of overdose, reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths, and create change that reduces the harms associated with drug use.Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) is committed to continuing to work collaboratively to prevent and reduce alcohol and drugs harms within communities. Don't miss the latest headlines from around Renfrewshire.

Sign up to our newsletters here. In Renfrewshire, some of the area’s landmark buildings - including Paisley Town Hall, Johnstone Bandstand and Bascule Bridge in Renfrew - will be lit up later to recognise the day.Christine Laverty, chief officer of Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), said: “No family should ever have to go through the pain of losing a loved one because of an overdose.“Overdose can affect anybody, and one of the messages of this day is that the people who overdose are our sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters – they are loved and they are missed.”Staff from Renfrewshire’s HSCP and CIRCLE - Continuing in Recovery Changes Lives Entirely - will also be helping to raise awareness on the day by hosting overdose information stalls at two of Renfrewshire’s busiest locations, Braehead and the Piazza.According to National Records of Scotland, between the years 2017 and 2021, in Renfrewshire -