Truth: advert-top-1 by Ad Council & Haymaker

Opioid addiction is one of the biggest growing problems in the US, and efforts to curb opioid abuse haven’t solved the problem. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Truth Initiative and the Ad Council are trying to solve that with a sweeping new campaign focused on preventing and reducing misuse of opioids among America’s youth.

Called 'The Truth About Opioids,' the multi-channel campaign is a bold step, designed to help young people understand the facts about opioids, the risk of addiction and provide necessary information and resources.

Created by Haymaker and Truth Initiative, the Truth-branded spots tell true stories of young adults and the lengths to which they’ve gone in order to get new opioid prescriptions, and while they’re quite painful to watch, they make a lasting impression on the addictive nature of these potentially deadly drugs.

Chris and Kyle take similar paths to their addictions. They both got hooked young – Kyle tried Oxycontin at some parties, while Chris found pills at his mother’s house. Their stories are told as we see them taking drastic action – breaking their own hands and arms so they can get more pills. Amy is seen driving in her film, telling in voice over how she was given Vicodin after a knee surgery. She ends up driving her car into a dumpster to get injured so she can get more pills. Joe broke his own back to get more pills.

All say they didn’t know how addictive the pills were.