Reverse the Silence Campaign Releases New Broadcast Segments About Opioid Overdose Preparedness and Stigma

With the alarming rates of opioid overdose deaths occurring across our country, an alliance of national nonprofit organizations comprised of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse (MAPDA), SAFE Project, and Shatterproof, and sponsored by Emergent, have created and released a new set of public education TV spots as part of Reverse the Silence campaign. The campaign initially launched in July 2021 to help raise awareness, provide education, and support people who may be at risk or know someone at risk of an opioid overdose.

Today, more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths have occurred in the U.S.– the largest number of drug overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period – according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) current provisional data. Nearly 80 percent, or eight in ten of these deaths are caused by opioids, including prescription opioids (natural and semi-synthetic opioids, and methadone), heroin, and synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl), which are often accidental.

New CDC data published in The Journal of the American Medical Association this month found that opioid overdose deaths in adolescents rose far more rapidly than the general population between 2019 and 2021. Deaths from opioid overdoses in teens ages 14 to 18 increased by 94 percent between 2019 and 2020 and by an additional 20 percent between 2020 and 2021. One factor driving these deaths was fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine.

Overdoses are not merely statistics. They represent real people – children, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and neighbors. No more families should lose a loved one.

“Our beautiful son Jonathan died from an accidental overdose during his first few days of college. If only the people around him understood that addiction was a disease. An overdose can happen at any time, and to anyone using opioids. No one in our society is immune from the dangers of an opioid overdose,” stated Admiral James and Mary Winnefeld, Founders of SAFEProject.

Reverse the Silence is a public education campaign that first launched in July 2021 with TV and radio segments highlighting overdose risks associated with opioid use and sought to educate people across the country and address the associated stigma.

“Since the initial launch of Reverse the Silence, we continue to hear real stories of innocent lives being taken from families, friends, and neighbors from nearly every community in the U.S., said Doug White, senior vice president and commercial business head at Emergent. “Reverse the Silence was designed to break down stigma and provide tangible ways to help prevent and prepare for an opioid overdose emergency by having an at-home safety plan.”

Learn how to be prepared and watch the Reverse the Silence spots at ReverseSilence.org.