Black Balloon Day
Why Are The Lights Purple?
The Adams County Overdose Awareness Task Force Announces Black Balloon Day 2023
On March 6, 2023, The Overdose Awareness Task Force will be observing Black Balloon Day on the Gettysburg Square and around the county. We will be on the square in Gettysburg from 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM at the Arts Oasis parklet on the southwest quadrant, with information about prevention, recovery, and treatment for substance abuse, as well as distributing the live saving miracle drug Naloxone for free.
Black Balloon Day started in Massachusetts in 2016 to remember a man lost to opioid overdose, and in the subsequent years has spread to every corner of the country. Addiction and overdose touch every aspect of society regardless of class, race, income, politics, or geography. Opioid overdose however does not always have anything to do with addiction or habitual use. Sometimes it is just as simple as an elder forgetting that they already took their meds for the day, and accidentally taking them again.
It is very easy to try and find a “bad guy” to explain the current epidemic of opioid overdose. Addicts are demonized for their personal failures, or politicians blame foreign governments and porous border for the scourge of fentanyl on our streets. Advocates speak of trauma informed approaches to addiction services and to address the intersectionality of drug abuse with mental illness, poverty, and marginalized cultures. Opioids are prescribed and administered freely, while immense corporations profit. These are valid conversations that we as a society must have, without stigma, and in the spirit of finding solutions.
None of this comforts the parent or child or spouse staring at an empty chair at the table.
On March 6th, please take some time to think about those we have lost, that you have lost to overdose. This is our day of remembrance. You will see the lights around the square tinted purple in observation of this event. Please, come by and see us on the square. Our goal is to have this life saving drug, Naloxone, in every first aid kit in the county. Everyone deserves a second chance, and with your help, we can give that to them.