International Overdose Awareness Day

Taking medications without indications and in larger quantities than prescribed by the doctor leads to side effects Some of them are intoxication of the body and death Overdose is the leading cause of death for drug addicts Often a fatal outcome occurs when the patient combines the use of psychotropic substances with medications or alcohol Every year, 183 thousand people die from overdose worldwide International Overdose Awareness Day, established in Australia in 2001, aims to draw attention to this problem on a planetary scale Singer Whitney Houston died from an overdose of antidepressants, in whose blood traces of other drugs and marijuana (according to another version - cocaine) were also found Actresses Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland, as well as guitarist Jimi Hendrix, left this world due to taking large amounts of sleeping pills Model and actress Anna Nicole Smith, at the age of 39, died in the hands of doctors due to an overdose of antidepressants and analgesics, to which she became addicted in the last years of her life Doping in the form of medications that invigorate the nervous system and the simultaneous use of sleeping pills caused the death of the king of pop Elvis Presley An intravenous injection of a strong sleeping pill led to the intoxication of singer Michael Jackson's body with propofol and benzodiazepine and his death The list of stars who died from an overdose can be continued endlessly It also includes ordinary people whose lives were interrupted due to harmful drug addiction, mixing opiates and barbiturates with drugs and alcohol In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, observed on August 31, many educational events are held They are coordinated by the Penington Institute, a non-profit organization working in the field of public health The solemn day appeared on the calendar thanks to one of the participants in the needle exchange program (distribution of new syringes to replace used ones) - Australian Sally Jane Finn She, along with her Salvation Army colleague Peter Strecker, were struck by the high number of deaths of drug addicts in the early 2010s and decided to organize an event dedicated to their memory Over time, this became a tradition and grew into International Overdose Awareness Day Drugs are harmful to health, especially those administered intravenously Overdose most often occurs with the use of opioids (heroin, morphine and codeine), barbiturates, cocaine and psychostimulants (amphetamine and methamphetamine) The simultaneous use of heroin and other opiates with alcohol or sedatives is fraught with a slowdown in the functioning of the body - difficulty breathing, respiratory arrest and cessation of heart function Cocaine overdose causes fever, brain damage and death Exceeding the dose leads to kidney failure, vascular problems, cognitive impairment and damage to the central nervous system An overdose of cocaine and amphetamine can cause muscle spasms, fainting and a heart attack Doctors and volunteers who participate in events held on August 31 talk about these and other consequences of taking drugs in large quantities, their combination with medications and alcoholic beverages Signs of overdose include blue skin, respiratory arrest, weak pulse, paleness, trembling and muscle cramps, foam at the mouth, chest pain, vomiting, wheezing and fainting In these cases, others can provide all possible help to the person until the ambulance arrives When calling her, you need to report a suspected drug overdose The victim must be brought into the creature, massage his chest with finger joints, perform artificial respiration, bring him to his senses and not allow him to pass out until the doctors arrive In order to draw attention to one of the global problems, on August 31, rallies and other public events are held in many countries around the world On this day, we remember people who died from a drug overdose or became disabled, suffering injuries for the rest of their lives