International Overdose Awareness Day: Behind Every Overdose Is a Human Being

31 August is International Overdose Awareness Day, a time to remember those whose lives have been lost to overdose, acknowledge the grief of families and friends, and remind ourselves that people experiencing an overdose need compassion, urgent medical help and support, not judgement.

Overdose is sometimes associated solely with illegal drugs, but the reality is much broader. Prescription medicines and everyday medicines available from pharmacies and supermarkets can also cause serious and potentially fatal poisoning when taken in excessive quantities.

My wife and I were reminded of this in particularly stark circumstances when we came across a man in a park who had taken a large overdose of paracetamol.

He was conscious, and one of the most disturbing aspects of the encounter was his surprise that the tablets hadn't killed him instantly.

My wife is a retired nurse, and while an ambulance was being called she was able to check him over and establish, as accurately as possible, how many tablets he had taken. That information was important for the medical professionals who would subsequently care for him.

Thankfully, the ambulance crew arrived quickly and took him to hospital for urgent treatment.

The incident has stayed with us, not least because it illustrates something dangerously deceptive about paracetamol overdose. Someone who has taken too much paracetamol may initially feel relatively well. Serious liver damage can develop later, however, which is why a suspected overdose requires urgent medical assessment even when the person appears perfectly conscious and says they feel all right.

It is also why nobody should wait for symptoms to appear before seeking help.

But International Overdose Awareness Day is about more than understanding the medical facts. It is also about recognising the person behind the emergency.

We didn't know what circumstances had brought that man to the park or what had happened in his life beforehand. At that moment, none of that mattered. What mattered was that there was a human being who needed help.

That principle applies to every overdose.

Whether an overdose is accidental or intentional, involves an illegal substance, prescribed medication or something bought over the counter, the appropriate response is compassion and urgent medical assistance.

If you believe someone has taken an overdose in the UK, call 999 or 112 immediately. Don't assume that because somebody is awake, talking or apparently feeling well that they are safe. Tell the emergency services what you believe has been taken, approximately how much, and when, if that information is available. Keep any packaging or remaining medication for the ambulance crew.

And if someone tells you that they have deliberately taken an overdose, believe them and get help.

International Overdose Awareness Day also asks us to remember those who didn't survive, the people who continue to live with the consequences of overdose, and the families, friends, paramedics, nurses, doctors and others whose lives are touched by these emergencies.

Sometimes saving a life begins with something remarkably simple: noticing another human being in trouble, staying with them and making that call.

There should be no shame in needing help, and no hesitation in giving it.

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