The community is invited to remember, honor and hold space for those who were lost to overdose during a candlelight vigil at 8 p.m. Sunday at Independence Point in Coeur d'Alene.

Aug. 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day. Advocates say the date presents an opportunity for communities to gather and affirm the worth of people with substance abuse problems. 

“I’m here today because someone believed my life was worth fighting for,” said Jason Coombs, CEO and founder of Brick House Recovery, a faith-based addiction treatment center with locations in Coeur d’Alene, Boise and Idaho Falls. “As an overdose survivor, you get to the point where you don’t care if you keep breathing but you do care about family and people who love you.” 

Substance abuse disorder is a pervasive problem in Idaho and elsewhere, Coombs said, affecting people from all walks of life. 

In 2023, the most recent year for which data is available, 264 people died from causes related to opioids, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. More than half of those deaths involved fentanyl, a synthetic opioid estimated by the Centers for Disease Control to be more potent than morphine. 

Despite how common it is, Coombs said, the stigma associated with addiction persists. Community events like Sunday’s planned vigil show people they’re not alone. 

“We recover in relationships and communities,” he said. “We don’t recover in buildings or programs.” 

Coombs said overdose survivors who are now in recovery and people who have lost loved ones to overdose will attend the vigil to find community. 

“To us, this is our purpose,” he said. “Yes, it’s painful. It’s hard. It’s brutal. But can you imagine not having a purpose after you come through that pain? A big part of it is keeping us motivated to stay the course and share hope and the solution with others so that we don’t slip back.”