August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD), the world’s largest annual campaign to end accidental overdose.  This year’s theme is ‘Together We Can’.  Against this sentiment of hope and togetherness, the title for ACON’s IAOD event ‘Stories from the Underworld’ seems rather mysterious.  

It is Australia’s most popular illicit drug and probably the most popular drug worldwide. Can you overdose from it? The short answer is yes, you can, but not fatally: cannabis alone will not kill you. But how much is too much?

Chantell’s Story — I was a sex worker in Darlinghurst for many years. The police, treating us all as criminals, pushed us further and further away from the new posh residential developments, but no matter where we worked we kept our identity as a community, supporting each other. We really had each other’s backs then

“We’ve lost too much mob!” is the theme of 3 posters about opioid overdose that NUAA has released that have Indigenous communities as their target audience. They are stunning to look at, thanks to artwork by Aboriginal artist Steve Morgan.

Kids, especially the younger ones, love to test how random things they discover taste! NUAA has published 2 posters: the first raising awareness on storing meds where children are not likely to find them and the other educating on how to recognise the signs of opioid overdose in kids.

Dove’s boyfriend of nearly a decade passed from a heroin overdose. She talks about dealing with her feelings of grief and guilt, and his family’s regrettable reaction: “The family blames me as much as if I had put a gun to his head.”

People who use drugs, particularly people who use opioids, sometimes experience a great deal of trauma and loss. This trauma and loss is often not taken seriously. We often lack the support we need because the loved ones we lose are criminalised and “brought it on themselves”. The lack of support can be compounded by our own feelings of guilt and blame. We often believe we could have done more to prevent the death.

'For 20 years my life has revolved around that overdose.'

Ice, crystal meth, shabu … whatever you call it, these tips will help you remain safe when you use it.

ACT’s new pill testing service, called CanTEST Health and Drug Checking Service, has opened, and Users News got the low-down from Chris Gough, who is the Executive Director (ED) of ACT’s Drug User Organisation (DUO), Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation & Advocacy (CAHMA). Chris is one of the peers who has played an important role in getting the service running.

Peer Worker Maureen Steele has been an active and influential peer worker for some 30 years. She has been inducted in the NUAA Hall of Fame for her tireless and outstanding commitment to our community.

Sam’s story. Drugs and growing up Vietnamese-Australian in Western Sydney.

Tips for keeping your meds safe from kids

Camil tells us about coming from Afghanistan as a refugee, using drugs and learning to tell his story

Avoiding, recognising and getting help for benzo overdoses

So what happens when you find yourself dealing super strong gear?

Taking too many stimulants like ice, ecstasy, speed and coke can result in an overdose that can affect your body or your mind – and sometimes both

Some basics about GHB aka ‘Liquid Ecstasy’

A focus on some of the drugs that are more commonly-used in chemsex settings - methamphetamine, poppers/amyl, GHB, and erectile dysfunction medication such as Viagra and Cialis