New Campaign Aims to Break Silence on Opioid Addiction

We’ve joined with Facebook to launch a new public awareness campaign aimed at reducing the stigma that surrounds opioid addiction.

The Stop Opioid Silence (SOS) campaign is built on the notion that one in two people knows someone affected by the opioid epidemic – and only about one quarter of those with opioid addiction get the treatment they need. The campaign incorporates “SOS,” the Morse code distress signal and a universal alarm indicating a clear and present danger as every 11 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies of an opioid overdose.

Facebook Vice President of U.S. Public Policy, Kevin Martin, and Center on Addiction CEO, Creighton Drury, officially launched the SOS campaign this week on Capitol Hill. The launch event included a panel with Center on Addiction President, Fred Muench, who moderated a discussion with individuals featured in the campaign, along with Center on Addiction Director of Health Law and Policy, Lindsey Vuolo. West Virginia Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) were among the congressional leaders who addressed the audience.

By collaborating with Facebook – the largest social media platform in the world – we are encouraging people to break the silence and feel empowered to share their stories with each other, a medical professional, or family and friend – whether they themselves struggled with opioid addiction or if a loved one has struggled.

An SOS Alarm Toolkit is available to help anyone interested in stopping the silence around opioid addiction. You can participate by:

• Sharing your own story of loss, hope and recovery
• Sharing other stories featured in the campaign
• Creating a personal SOS
• Amplifying the campaign’s message on social media