Death By Overdose

Sarah K – Therapy helps

February 8, 2022

Sarah talks about how grief and trauma therapy has helped her in grief for her husbands death and how much trauma she was experiencing from his substance use disorders and entail health challenges

Death By Overdose / Grief and Trauma / Video

Krista – “It feels good to get the anger out”

December 4, 2019

Krista talks about it feeling good to get the anger out. Krista continues to grieve the death of her son from opioid overdose.

Death By Overdose / Death of a Child / Death of A Loved One / Grief and Trauma / Video

Krista – “Educate yourself”

December 4, 2019

Krista explains what she thinks is the most important thing to do.Krista continues to grieve the death of her son from opioid overdose.

Death By Overdose / Death of a Child / Death of A Loved One / Grief and Trauma / Video

What I know about grief

May 29, 2022

The following are some things I know to be true about grief for me, based on my lived experience. Some of them may resonate with you as well. Grief is unique to the people experiencing it in each moment, so please take whatever makes sense to you from this share and leave whatever doesn’t.

Blog Post / Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Death of A Loved One / Grief and Trauma / Suicide / Supporting Others

Kristal – Grieving the Whole Person

April 23, 2023

Kristal discusses the importance of recognizing and grieving the entire person who was lost – not just who they were before they had been using drugs.

Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video

Christian – Language around those pushed to the margins

April 23, 2023

Christian talks about how people who are pushed to the margins are not discussed as part of our community and how we need to include them. As a community how do we care for our neighbours and how do we mourn the loss of our neighbours

Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video

Kate – Getting support

March 11, 2023

Kate talks about how difficult it is to ask for support

Death By Overdose / Death of A Loved One / Death of a Sibling / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Griever / Video

Thoughts on International Overdose Awareness Day 2023

August 30, 2023

We lead multifaceted lives, and the deaths of those we love who have died by drug poisoning contain multitudes. The death of a loved one can bring intense grief, shock, anger, shame, or guilt. People who use drugs, and those who love them that they leave behind, face stigma in North America’s dominant, settler culture.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Blog Post / Collective/Community Grief / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic

Christian – Denial and grieving

April 23, 2023

Christian discusses what happens after members of the community die from drug poisoning and how it’s OK for grief to be messy

Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video

Sarah K – Trauma therapy

February 7, 2022

Sarah explains how she felt broken after her husband’s death to overdose and how grief therapy helped her untangle all the feelings that came from such an unexpected death

Death By Overdose / Grief and Trauma / Video

Krista – “Things you can do that help”

November 11, 2019

Krista shares some of the things that help her through the grieving process.

Death By Overdose / Death of a Child / Grief and Trauma / Video

Kristal – Harm Reduction

April 23, 2023

Kristal speaks to the importance of harm reduction and how it can save lives. She discusses how accessing harm reduction leads to the creation of connections with community support. It allows community outreach members to connect with community members and get to know them, and to know to look for them if they don’t see them when they usually do.

Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video