Statement from CEO Dawn Russell on International Overdose Awareness Day 2025

31 Aug

August 31, 2025 Over the past decade, the Irish Government and health services have taken significant steps to end overdose. In the past two years, Ireland has been recognised as a model of best practice in responding to overdose clusters. We should take pride in these achievements, while acknowledging that more must be done.

making progress, continued loss

Despite making progress, we continue to lose hundreds of lives to overdose each year. Many overdose survivors experience repeated non-fatal overdoses, causing serious physical and emotional trauma to both themselves and their loved ones.

At Ana Liffey Drug Project, we are on the frontline. We witness the gaps in support for younger people who are at risk of overdose and drug-related harm, yet do not engage with health services. We see the cycle of treatment and relapse among our service users, people striving for recovery but struggling to sustain it and build fulfilling lives.

On this International Overdose Awareness Day, we are calling for key strategic actions to be prioritised in the next National Drugs Strategy:

Legislative amendments to ensure free and equitable access to naloxone across Ireland, for anyone who wishes to carry it.
Expansion of accessible addiction services that meet the needs of Ireland’s diverse drug-using populations and keep pace with rapidly changing drug trends.
A whole-of-government approach to building a recovery-oriented system of care, grounded in international evidence and focused on long-term, sustainable addiction recovery.

At Ana Liffey, we remain firmly committed to working in partnership with the Department of Health, the HSE, and our colleagues across the community and voluntary sectors to deliver these practical, life-saving solutions.

The power of Peer Work

Also speaking at todays event, Deniss Brovkins, former Ana Liffey Service User and now Ana Liffey Peer Worker and volunteer, described his journey from rough sleeping and addiction to beginning his college course and his recovery, all with the help of Ana Liffey’s team in Dublin. “I became homeless eight years ago and for two years was sleeping rough and not getting any support. Other people on the street told me about Ana Liffey…at first I didn’t want to engage but they kept trying. I wondered why. Now I know..they really care”.

Deniss spoke about saving lives with naloxone, an opioid antagonist which can reverse overdose, and becoming a Peer trainer. He emphasised the power of supporting peers to carry out work alongside Ana Liffey’s teams “I’m now in recovery and peer work at Ana Liffey. It makes huge sense for Ana Liffey to have people who’ve used or are using drugs working for them because we have the real life knowledge that you don’t necessarily find in a book”.

“We remain firmly committed to working in partnership with the Department of Health, the HSE, and our colleagues across the community and voluntary sectors to deliver these practical, life-saving solutions”.

**Dawn Russell, CEO, August 31st 2025**

International Overdose Awareness Day

On this International Overdose Awareness Day, we are calling for the following key strategic actions to be prioritised in the next National Drugs Strategy:

Legislative amendments to ensure free and equitable access to naloxone across Ireland, for anyone who wishes to carry it.
Expansion of accessible addiction services that meet the needs of Ireland’s diverse drug-using populations and keep pace with rapidly changing drug trends.
A whole-of-government approach to building a recovery-oriented system of care, grounded in international evidence and focused on long-term, sustainable addiction recovery.

We remain firmly committed to working in partnership with the Department of Health, the HSE, and our colleagues across the community and voluntary sectors to deliver these practical, life-saving solutions.

Dawn Russell, CEO, August 31st 2025

If you or a family member have been affected by this article you can get help now here

For media enquiries, please contact:
Dawn Russell
CEO
Dawn.russell@aldp.ie
085 752 5704
www.aldp.ie

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