Death By Overdose

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

Nicole – Stigma Surrounding Drug Use

March 25, 2023

Nicole discusses how the stigma around drug use has an impact on how people feel able to grieve when those in their community are lost.

Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / Supporting Others / Video

Kristal – Attending Memorials as a Support Worker

April 23, 2023

Kristal discusses the importance of finding ways to honour people that have been lost and how they have impacted you. She speaks to how she often chooses not to attend public memorials for those she has lost as a support worker as they are often very overwhelming. Instead, she has her own personal rituals or ways of honouring those she has lost personally including opening a window. She discusses how this practice was used when she worked in palliative care.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / I Am A Supporter / Video

Christian – Grieving the whole person

April 23, 2023

Christian talks about how we choose remember people when there has been a loss to drug poisoning

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

Sarah K – Finding my people

February 7, 2022

Sarah talks about how finding other people that are going through the same grief experience has been very helpful to her.

Death By Overdose / Grief and Trauma / Video

Krista’s Story

November 11, 2019

Krista tells her story and talks about getting the call that no parent wants to get.

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

Kristal – Lack of Memorials During Pandemic

April 23, 2023

Kristal talks about how memorials can offer closure to people who are grieving, find a community, and share stories. With the absence of this during the pandemic, many people turned inward to grieve or isolated, which can create safety issues and have an impact on mental health. She speaks to how this leads to depression, physical pain, and it compounds upon itself.

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

Sarah K – Talking to my kids

February 7, 2022

Sarah discusses the challenges of discussing her kids about their Dad;s death to heroin and helping them on their journey through grief

Death By Overdose / Grief and Trauma / Supporting Others / Video

Krista – “Dealing with it”

December 4, 2019

Krista tells about the differences people have in dealing with it. 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

Christian – “Stigma of opioid death”

October 1, 2019

Christian talks about the social acceptance of an opioid overdose.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Death By Overdose / Grief and Trauma / Video

Kristal – Anger with Grief

April 23, 2023

Kristal discusses finding ways to channel her anger due to poor policy leading to deaths from drug poisoning and those individuals not having the support they needed. She discusses how human beings have the right to be flawed and should have the ability to grow, heal, and change.

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

Krista – “Crying”

November 11, 2019

Krista talks about how crying helps her. Krista continues to grieve the death of her son from opioid overdose.

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