Attack Addiction marks International Overdose Awareness Day

Attack Addiction held an International Overdose Awareness Day event Aug. 27 on The Circle in Georgetown.

International Overdose Awareness Day is the largest annual campaign to reduce overdose, to remember those who have died from overdose, and to acknowledge the grief of family and friends left behind.

Tyshawn Winder, a recovering addict who is now eight months sober, said he hit rock bottom when he lost contact with his son who meant the world to him. His family was getting phone calls about him doing crazy things, and he was using anything and everything he could get ahold of. Alcohol, marijuana and cocaine were just the start. He spent countless nights on strangers’ couches, in rehab centers and even in jail. Then, on Christmas 2024, he decided he’d had enough. He got up off the couch, stayed persistent throughout denials and got into rehab. Eight months later, Winder is back in contact with his son. His infectious smile and sunny disposition says it all – he’s one of the lucky ones and he knows it.

“During International Overdose Awareness Day – and throughout the year – we honor and remember the lives lost to the opioid epidemic, and the impact that those losses have had on family, friends and the entire Delaware community,” said Don Keister, president and co-founder of Attack Addiction.

Attack Addiction is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group founded in 2013 by the Keister family, in memory of their son Tyler Armstrong Keister after his accidental overdose. 

“Since 2012 – the year that Tyler and so many other Delawareans died – more than 4,500 people in Delaware have lost their lives to overdose,” Keister said. “In 2024, we are grateful that Delaware saw its largest decrease in overdose deaths in more than a decade, and we join many other organizations, government agencies and treatment providers in working to continue that trend. We encourage the public to join us at our vigils and outreach events in Georgetown and Newark.”

For more information, go to attackaddiction.org, call 302-365-5221, or visit their Resource Center at 210 Peoples Plaza, Newark.