Posted August 31, 2016
Did you know today is International Overdose Awareness Day? Check it out.
This sad, but timely post is a perfect lead-in to August 31 International Overdose Awareness Day. To learn more about this important movement, click on link below, and write a tribute, check the Events tab, or better still, maybe one of you would be interested in hosting a local International Overdose Awareness Day event at your weekly meeting. http://www.overdoseday.com/tributes/
In my effort to work the 12th Step, Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others; here is an excerpt of an article I wrote for last August’s The Sober World magazine.
“Before my ex-husband Bob died, I never gave much thought to who wrote the obituaries I read in the local newspaper. I did suspect a diehard codependent stated their loved one ‘died suddenly,’ ‘died unexpectedly,’ or ‘had succumbed to their illness.’”
When substance abuse is the cause of death, it is not sudden. And it is definitely not unexpected. The only truth in that death notice is the deceased did succumb to their illness—the disease called addiction.”
Denial is the survival instinct that kicks in to soothe the grief of those left behind. Rather than stating how we failed to stop our loved from dying of a drug overdose, or cirrhosis of the liver, we continue to mask the shame and blame.
