The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) has a wide range of programs to administer and
one of their major initiatives is National Alcohol and
Drug Addiction Recovery Month. The special observance
seeks to inspire all levels of government, business and
society to work toward enhancing drug and alcohol treatment
programs. It also provides a focal point to recognize
everyday heroes who have sought help and are in recovery.
 To
publicize this special event, Goodwill Communications
worked with SAMHSA’s public relations agency,
Edelman, Inc., to distribute a multi-media PSA campaign
with the theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery:
Celebrating Health.” The theme underscores
the role everyone plays in the recovery process, and
emphasizes the united front that must be presented to
encourage individuals with alcohol and drug problems
to seek help and remain in recovery.
The PSAs aim to reduce the misrepresentation and stigma
faced by those who are in treatment or recovery face
every day for the rest of their lives. The PSAs put
an everyday face on addiction and recovery, and offer
the SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-HELP) as a requested
action to call if the viewer or someone they know is
in need of treatment.
The 2004 PSAs were titled "Boat," which demonstrates
that all people who suffer from alcohol and drug use
disorders are "in the same boat" and that
treatment helps them to reach solid ground, and "Tony"
which illustrates how getting help through treatment
can enable a person to help others, thereby multiplying
the effect of one person's treatment. All PSAs were
produced in English and Spanish.
TV PSAs were distributed to 1,200 English and Spanish
broadcast TV stations, to 500 cable stations; and 3,500
radio stations nationwide. The PSAs also received play
as part of the White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy's (ONDCP) Media Match Campaign.
Open ended spots were also created for customization
to allow local television stations and community groups
to personalize the PSAs with their logo, slogan, or
telephone number at the end of the PSA. These spots
were available via SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for
Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI).
 From
June through December 2004, the broadcast and cable
TV PSAs aired 38,728 times on 286 outlets reaching 250
cities in 47 states, and generated 78,671,626 viewer
impressions.
For the same period, the radio spots were broadcast
61,655 times on 354 outlets reaching 213 cities in 47
states, resulting in 4,775,759 in listener impressions.
The combined value of all PSAs was $4,837,996. More
importantly the PSA campaign was largely responsible
for 75,000 kits and 10,000 posters ordered by community-based
organizations, government entities, and national treatment
organizations.
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