Next-Gen PSAs Target New Angle in Drug Addiction, Recovery

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A father sits down to a breakfast prepared by his adult son. Silence is oppressive as the two cast glances from opposite heads of the table. Tension builds until the son can take it no longer. “Is it Mom,” he asks, hoping to find an explanation for his father’s alcohol abuse.

The sound of silverware hitting a plate serves as the only response. The father, still in his bathrobe, exits the home. Reluctant, but determined, the son follows outside and admits, “I don’t want to lose you, too.”

That scene was brought to life by St. Petersburg filmmaker Alejandro Munoz in a public service announcement titled “Speak Up.” Munoz’s video is one of five selected in the final round of Recovery Brands’ LIVES (Leveraging Impactful Videos to End Stigma) Challenge. The three-month-long video contest was open to entrants across the country. Its purpose: to reframe the conversation surrounding addiction.

Ashton Tupper, Recovery Brands’ public relations manager, explained her company wanted to help break down the social stigmas surrounding drug and alcohol addiction. While the “Just Say No” and “This is Your Brain on Drugs” campaigns of the 1980s sent powerful messages, Tupper said, they didn’t address the stigmas surrounding addiction.

“We wanted to bring about a new message, something other than ‘Just Say No,’” Tupper said. The focus is to avoid invoking “feelings of shame or fear.”

Recovery Brands is a San Diego-based company that owns the addiction treatment websites Recovery.org and Rehabs.com. The company’s purpose is to provide resources to those struggling with addition and to help provide information to assist them in making decisions about treatment options and facilities.

Recovery Brands is searching for the next generation PSA, Tupper said. And, rather than come up with it, the company is taking it to the masses.

With five videos now left in the running, Recovery Brands wants viewers to decide the People's Choice Award winner up. Online voting is open until Aug. 25 with a $5,000 prize going to the winning filmmaker.

A $5,000 Judges Choice Award, is also up for grabs with such celebrity judges as Chris Henderson from Three Doors Down, “Clean” author David Sheff and Patty Powers of A&E’s “Relapse,” serving on the judging panel.

The Vision Behind ‘Speak Up’

Munoz wrote, directed and filmed “Speak Up,” drawing inspiration from the many stories of celebrity addictions covered in the media, he said. He’s also watched people in his life struggle with addiction.

“Love and acceptance,” is the message the 23-year-old wanted to get across. “(There are) so many out there who keep their addictions secret,” he said. “It is difficult to ask for help. I only hope my video will inspire them and also hope that it inspires people to speak up and help their friends.”

Munoz is a native of Queens, N.Y., who was raised in St. Petersburg. He is also a May 2015 graduate of the Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota.

“Growing up, I’d always been drawn toward the arts,” he explained. He branched out into a number of genres, but found drama and video especially compelling because of how they could impact lives and “bring awareness to social issues in society.”

Although his dream is to someday shoot a full-length film in Florida, Munoz said he wants to continue producing videos that spread awareness and help get social messages across to the masses.

As for “Speak Up,” he’s thrilled it made the finals, he said.

Drug Use in the United States

An estimated 24.6 million Americans age 12 or older used illicit drugs within one month of the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The federal government’s 2013 survey offers the latest data available that also showed marijuana remained the most commonly used drug with an estimated 19.8 million users, followed by cocaine with 1.5 million users. An estimated 1.3 million people age 12 or older in 2013 had also used hallucinogens within a month of the survey.

In Florida, heroin is of particular concern with the Tampa Bay area’s own Manatee County often looked upon as the epicenter of the state’s heroin crisis. In 2014, Manatee County had more heroin overdose deaths per capita than any other county in the state.

Statewide, 343 deaths with heroin involved were recorded between January and June 2015, according to a Florida Medical Examiners Commission report. Of those deaths, 320 were caused by heroin, the state’s report said.

Nationally, it is estimated that 125 Americans die from drug overdoses daily.

Changing those numbers by encouraging people to more readily seek out and accept help to treat addictions is the impetus behind Recovery Brands' contest, Tupper said. Through its own experiences, Recovery Brands' staff have learned that cost is the No. 1 barrier stopping people from getting help. Stigmas associated with addiction rank high at No. 2.

"(We) wanted to get the conversation started," Tupper said.

Vote for Your Favorite

Voting in Recovery Brands’ contest remains open until Aug. 25. Viewers can vote for their favorite videos online: http://woobox.com/gg4rqr.

Other finalists besides St. Petersburg’s Munoz are:

• Clark Cranfill of Lexington, Kentucky
• Sam Tielemans of Las Vegans, Nevada
• Tori Utley of Rochester, Minnesota
• Sydney Johnson, a student at Indiana University

For more information about Recovery Brands, visit it online at www.recoverybrands.com. Winners will be announced in September.

Video and screenshot courtesy of Alejandro Munoz