A new campaign by Ballarat Community Health is challenging local residents to rethink their perceptions about drug overdosing.
The organisation is warning about the risks of multiple drug combinations including with pharmaceutical drugs and the frequency of overdoses in regional Victoria, in the lead up to International Overdose Awareness Day.
Their campaign will end with a free movie screening of The Fix, which aims to debunk common misunderstandings of drugs and addiction, at the Regent Cinemas on August 31.
Kate Davenport from Ballarat Community Health (pictured) said people often dismissed opioid overdose as a metropolitan or young person’s problem, but the majority of people fatally overdosing are in the 35- to 65-year-old range.
In the last two years, over 20 per cent of overdose deaths were in regional Victoria.
Ms. Davenport said the organisation was well placed to support people to avoid overdosing.
If you’re struggling with drug addiction, contact the organisation on (03) 5338 4500.
