Holidays After an Overdose Loss: Making Room for Love and Grief

Brianna loved little ones in fiercely. Her care of young people gas decided our organization's road in which we travel. Every holiday since February 1, 2022, I have felt the space where she should be. If you've lost someone to overdose, you know that space too.

Grief after an overdose is its own kind of heavy. On top of missing someone, many of us carry guilt, anger, and the sting of stigma — people who don't know what to say, or who say the wrong thing. If that's you, I want you to hear this:

your person mattered, their death was not a moral failing, and your grief deserves room.

Gentle ideas for the season

1. You don't have to do it all. Skip the party, shorten the visit, buy the pie. Do what you can and let the rest go.

2. Plan an exit. Drive yourself, so you can leave when it gets to be too much.

3. Say their name. Many grieving families tell us the silence hurts more than the memories. Tell relatives it's OK to talk about your loved one.

4. Make a place for them. Light a candle, hang their ornament, cook their favorite dish, or make a donation in their name.

5. Expect hard days, including the build-up. Often the days before a holiday are worse than the day itself.

6. Take care of your body. Sleep, water, food, a walk. Grief is physically exhausting.

7. Find your people. Other families who've lost someone to substance use understand without explanation.

Places to find support

• GRASP (Grief Recovery After Substance Passing) — peer support groups for families who've lost someone to substance use, including online meetings: grasphelp.org.

• The Compassionate Friends — support for families after the death of a child of any age, and the home of the Worldwide Candle Lighting each December: compassionatefriends.org.

• Our Grief Guide game — a gentle, interactive way for young people to work through loss: savefl.net/grief-guide-game.

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — if grief ever feels like more than you can carry, call or text 988, any time, day or night.

Angie: confirm the date of the Worldwide Candle Lighting this year and whether B2C will host or join a local one.

Take the next step

Is there someone you've lost that you'd like us to remember with you this season? Share their name in the comments. We'll hold it with care.

Join us Dec. 13, 2026 at 7 pm your local time for the Worldwide Candle Lighting which is an annual global observance held every second Sunday in December to honor and remember children who have died at any age.