Published: 09/14/2026 | Author: Quentin Blount

Loudoun County, Virginia, is heading into its annual recovery festival to celebrate recent stats. Opioid overdoses reported to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office fell to 47 in 2025, a 48% decline from 91 in 2025. Those involving opioids dropped even more steeply. 

To be sure states like Virginia offer a wide range of addiction care, including community Narcotics Anonymous chapters. Even though opioid addiction remains the driver behind most of the county’s overdose response, people have responded.

The September 26 event centers around connecting folks to what comes after a reversal. Recovery Fest runs at the Douglass Community Center in Leesburg. It’s free and open to the public.

Opioid Crisis in Virginia

Statistics provided by sheriff’s office spokesman Tom Julia show 11 of the 2025 overdoses were fatal, compared with 14 in 2024.

Opioids specifically accounted for 10 nonfatal and 8 fatal overdoses in 2025. In 2024 the same categories held 44 nonfatal and 13 fatal cases. Two people who died of opioid overdose in 2025 were juveniles, down from five in 2024. In 2023, 22 minors in the county died of opioids.

For scale, the county’s worst recent year was 2020 with 134 nonfatal and 31 fatal overdoses.

Julia attributed the decline to greater public awareness and education, including forums hosted by the sheriff’s office, public schools and health care partners.

Counties reporting similar drops across Northern Virginia have generally teamed outreach with harm reduction and faster connection to treatment after a nonfatal overdose.

Understanding & Treating Opioids

Opioids include prescription medications and illegal stuff like heroin. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50x deadlier than heroin and takes the top spot for fatal overdoses nationally. It’s usually laced into counterfeit pills to resemble prescription medication.

An opioid overdose slows and eventually stops breathing. Signs include unresponsiveness, slow or absent breathing, blue or gray lips and fingertips and pinpoint pupils. 

Naloxone reverses it and is safe to give even if opioids aren’t involved.

Several organizations at the Leesburg resource fair specialize in harm reduction. The Chris Atwood Foundation distributes naloxone and runs harm reduction services across Northern Virginia. CR2 Mobile Crisis responds to behavioral health emergencies in the region. Healthworks for Northern Virginia and the Loudoun Free Clinic provide medical care regardless of ability to pay.

Medication for opioid use disorders notably complements peer support.

NA Meetings in Loudoun County

Serenity House partners with Loudoun County Mental Health and hosts several Narcotics Anonymous meetings on an ongoing basis. Its listed NA meetings include Young, Wild & Free, an LGBTQIA+ meeting, and Progress, Not Perfection. The organization also hosts SMART Recovery, Recovery Dharma and Recovering Mothers Anonymous.

The Day’s Events

The morning opens with a community walk from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in support of recovery and of people and families affected by addiction. The first 100 participants receive a free Recovery Fest hat.

Festival activities run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include free food trucks, live music and a kids’ zone with games. Raffles take place throughout the day. You can drop by their resource fair booths with local organizations and services.

The event is for everyone, not only people in recovery. Families affected by addiction, friends and supporters, students and anyone who wants to learn more or simply enjoy the day are encouraged to attend.

NA Always Present

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