Media Portrayal

Fear-Based Messaging

  • Visual Impact: Media often uses stark, alarming visuals such as deteriorated health, overdoses, or legal consequences to deter drug use.

  • Examples: Billboards with haunting images of addiction's toll or PSAs showing individuals' lives unraveling due to drug abuse.

Humanizing Addiction

  • Storytelling: Many campaigns now focus on personal stories of recovery to foster empathy and reduce stigma.

  • Examples: Videos or posters featuring real individuals discussing their struggles and paths to recovery, emphasizing that addiction is a disease, not a moral failing.

Harm Reduction Focus

  • Informative Content: Campaigns aimed at reducing the harm of drug use by promoting safe practices, such as using clean needles or accessing naloxone.

  • Examples: Posters in urban areas offering hotline numbers or locations of harm reduction services.


Youth-Oriented Prevention

  • Relatable Messaging: Targeting younger audiences with modern visuals and social media platforms to highlight the risks of drug use.

  • Examples: Bright, dynamic campaigns like "Just Say No" or "Above the Influence," often featuring slogans and hashtags.

Social and Economic Impacts

  • Data-Driven Awareness: Campaigns sometimes focus on broader societal costs of drug abuse, such as crime rates or economic burdens, aiming to rally community support.

  • Examples: Infographics on billboards or in digital media showing the cost of drug abuse to taxpayers or local economies.

Cultural and Community Specificity

  • Tailored Messages: Campaigns reflect cultural attitudes and community needs, such as addressing opioids in rural America or synthetic drugs in urban centers.

  • Examples: Localized efforts like "Stop the Stigma" campaigns in specific states or nations.