While reading the Sunday Cincinnati Enquirer, RWC Professor Joseph Zurad stumbled upon an ad that struck his attention. It read, “I’d rather have heart disease.” It showed a picture of a sad and troubled looking woman. It was sponsored by the Partnership for a Drug Free America. After calling the Alcoholism Council to acquire more information about the ad, he was connected with the President of the organization, Ms. Gina Marston, in New York City.Marston agreed to give a presentation at Zurad’s Substance Abuse class at RWC. She explained that she would be flying into Cincinnati on April 26 to be the keynote speaker at the annual luncheon of the Alcoholism Council of the Greater Cincinnati area, and she would be happy to speak to Zurad’s class while she was in town.
Marston and Rhonda Ramsey Molina, President of the Coalition for a Drug Free Greater Cincinnati, both attended Zurad’s class. They aided a discussion among students centered around prevention and treatment of substance abuse, after giving some information and background of the organization. The ad that Zurad saw, along with others, is part of an innovative campaign of “Hope, Help & Healing,” for people with drug and alcohol problems.
“It is a multi-media campaign designed to encourage people to seek help,” explained Zurad. “The purpose of the ads is to prevent attitudes from developing, regarding substance abuse problems and erasing the stigma about treatment.”
In her presentation, Marston said that “the vast majority of Americans with drug and alcohol problems do not receive treatment.” Also, in 2002, “some 22 million Americans were in need of treatment, yet just 3 million received any form of treatment.”
Addiction is a problem affecting millions of families throughout the U.S. “Hope, Help & Healing” is the first communication initiative aimed at researching people with drug and alcohol problems and their families, according to Marston and Molina.
Professor Zurad’s class had the chance to watch eight commercials that challenged social attitudes about addiction versus other serious medical conditions. They were also given the opportunity to offer their take on the effectiveness of them.
All in all, Zurad and his students gave the presentation a score of 10. “An excellent presentation by a national presenter,” said Zurad.