“We are not talking about overdose for alcohol, but this idea could alert to the danger of binge drinking” – Liberation

Since 2001, August 31 has been designated International Overdose Awareness Day. Julien Azuar, emergency doctor and addictologist at the Fernand-Widal hospital in Paris, analyzes for “Liberation” the latest figures and the specificities of substance abuse.

Educate the general public about overdoses. Reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths. Engage in action and discussion around drug policy and overdose prevention. These are the stakes of the International Overdose Awareness Day, which has existed since 2001, on August 31. According to the latest figures from the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Trends (OFDT), 503 people died in 2019 due to the use of illicit substances and opioid medications. Cocaine is the second illegal substance implicated in overdose deaths. At the Fernand-Widal hospital, in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, the addiction service welcomes patients who have been victims of overdoses. For Release, the emergency doctor and addictologist Julien Azuar deciphers the phenomenon of narcotics abuse, whether illegal or not.

What are the different types of overdose patients treated in your department?

We are dealing with a few cases of overdoses within the Addictology Care, Support and Prevention Center of the Fernand-Widal Hospital. Certain…