White County Anti-Drug Coalition thankful for crowd at Overdose Awareness Day

There are hundreds of overdoses in the county every year, and thousands across the state. To combat this and raise awareness, Aug. 23 was observed as Overdose Awareness Day.

Hosted by the White County Anti-Drug Coalition, at Pearson Park, vendors, health specialists, and survivors gathered to give information and testimonies about the dangers of addiction and overdosing.

There were multiple vendors at the event to show their support. White County Health Department was of course there, showing off diagrams of the body when exposed to heavy drug usage. The Stephens Center, Clean Heart Christian Ministries, Upper Cumberland Recovery, ReVida, and Health Connect America were all there as well to give their support. Endzo and Ashley’s Siidewayz Tacos were also there to provide discounted food to attendees.

White County executive Denny Wayne Robinson was present to sign off on the event, reading the proclamation. Part of it included, “Whereas, we recognize the purpose of International Overdose Awareness Day, and remembering loved ones lost to overdose and working with the community to reduce the risk of drug related deaths.”

Ashley Roberts with White County Health Department spoke after the proclamation to share statistics about drug overdoses. White County is doing better than the state average, but she still wanted to stress just how many overdoses hit the community each year.

Many in attendance at the event were survivors, recovered addicts, and they wanted to share their story with the others. Multiple speakers came up to share their emotional, impactful story and battle with drugs. Some of them had overdosed before and were lucky to still be alive. Some managed to get the help they needed prior and escape that lifestyle, and others had lost their loved ones to overdoses.

Those loved ones that lost their lives were recorded before the event, and those names were read out for remembrance. There was a moment of silence for each name, as more than a dozen members of the White County community had their name read out.

Judge John Meadows also came forward to speak at the event, sharing his support for the initiative, as well as the many experiences he has had seeing the dangers of drugs firsthand.

The White County Anti-Drug Coalition felt the turnout was impressive and that many were willing to share their stories about the dangers of drugs.