PSA On Opiod Addiction

The issue that I have decided to present is opioid addiction. The reason I decided to spread awareness for this particular subject is because there is little awareness in the U.S. The most popular forms of PSA’s are anti-tobacco, marijuana, alcohol, and amphetamines. I find that the public lacks knowledge on how heavily addictive opioids are and why they should be heavily monitored when given to minors or young adults.

Around 100 million people in the U.S. suffer from pain in a given year (Califf). In addition to that some nine to twelve million people endure chronic pain on a daily basis (Califf). Opioids are more commonly known as painkillers and are one of the main causes of death found in celebrities. One more recent example is the death of our beloved musical genius Prince Nelson. The singer’s home state is Minnesota where last year alone 336 deaths were caused by opioid over dosage. This number is sex time higher than the 56 deaths that took place in 2000 (Minnesota). This is also a personal subject matter. I have several friends who are addicted to opioids some of them even openly admit to it. April 30th is the national “Take-Back Day” which is a campaign to rid of your unwanted, unused or expired pills and medication in Connecticut (Bailey). The campaign’s slogan “Mind your Meds” is where I received my ideas for the slogan for my PSA, which is “Watch your cabinets.”

The target audience for this PSA is any adult over the age of 60-years-old. My reasoning behind this is because it is often a common mistake of elderly people to forget to stow away their medication. Whether it’s because they use them frequently, they live alone, or because they simply forget or don’t care. The problem with not securing dangerous medication is that they become easily accessible to minors, addicts, animals, and thieves. Elderly people are one of the main targets for drug addicts because they can be easily taken advantage of due to their age. I believe if the elderly were more educated on this matter they would lower the risk of deaths due to overdose as well as the mental and physical damage opioids can have on an individual.

The intended message for my target audience and for any other viewers is the “Watch Your Cabinets.” This slogan represents one of the main locations of drugs in any common household. Now this doesn’t mean that there opioids in every household’s medical cabinets, but it just one of the most common. Other locations can be on a bedside table, in drawers, purses, under the sink etc. I think this message can really shine a light on this issue because anyone who is prescribed opioids can be targeted. However, if you store them in a secure place for example in a safe or in a locked drawer than you are protecting others from getting into contact with your medication.

The call to action in the PSA is to get the target audience to secure their medications and not only opioids, but also all drugs that come in pill form. To a child some pills look like candy and in extreme cases a child can die from just one. Which is why I want the audience viewing to reflect on the dark tone of my PSA. I want them to feel as though anyone could access their drug prescriptions. In a way I want them to feel guilty so that they make a change if they fall into this situation and to even advise their friends and relatives to do the same.

This assignment has helped me better understand health communications because it forces you to communicate with yourself and your doctor. If you have an opioid prescription a doctor is not required to tell you the risks of leaving your medication out in the open where others can access it. Although, yes it is unlawful for distribution medication to non-prescribed users, however, who is going to know? Who is going to stop people from stealing your medication? Who is going to do something about this extreme issue? The answer is simple and that is the user. Which is why this PSA has made me appropriately aware of how important health communication is.

References

"Prince's Death Putting A Spotlight On Opioid Addiction." WCCO CBS Minnesota. Web. 02 May 2016.

"Fighting Opioid Addiction on National Drug Take-Back Day." WTNH Connecticut News. 2016. Micahel Bailey. Web. 02 May 2016.

Robert M. Califf, M.D., Janet Woodcock, M.D., and Stephen Ostroff, M.D. N Engl J Med 2016; 374:1480-1485April 14, 2016DOI: 10.1056/NEJMsr1601307