Stop Opioid Silence campaign supports South Carolinians battling opioid addiction this holiday season

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Stop Opioid Silence

With the holiday season underway, the Stop Opioid Silence campaign is launching a renewed push to offer state residents the opportunity to share stories and learnings from their opioid addiction and recovery.

Opioid use disorder and opioid-related death is a serious issue across the country and a growing problem in South Carolina. There were 816 opioid-related deaths in South Carolina in 2018, a 9 percent increase, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Facebook is supporting the Stop Opioid Silence campaign by running advertisements to encourage people to speak out about the crisis. Three members of the South Carolina Congressional Delegation created PSA videos to encourage residents to speak out for themselves or loved ones against opioid abuse.

The videos from Rep. Joe Cunningham, D, First District; Rep. William Timmons, R, Fourth District; and Rep. Ralph Norman, R, Fifth District, are running on Facebook. The ads also connect people to information and resources while offering a safe forum to share stories about addiction and recovery.

Stop Opioid Silence was created by Facebook and the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids + Center on Addiction — a leading national nonprofit working to transform how the nation addresses addiction.

“Facebook is proud to be working on such an important campaign with a bipartisan group of South Carolina leaders to address this terrible addiction,” said Kevin Martin, vice president for public policy at Facebook. “By using the Facebook platform to bolster the Stop Opioid Silence campaign, Partnership for Drug Free Kids is able to reach so many more people in South Carolina and across the country affected by this epidemic.”

Both organizations have teamed up to launch stopopioidsilence.org and a “Get Help” messenger bot which connects people all over the country, including South Carolinians, with information about addiction and treatment, recovery and support resources in their state.

“The opioid epidemic ravaging this country has left no corner of America untouched, and that includes the Lowcountry. Unfortunately, opioid silence and shame prevents the vast majority of those with opioid addiction from seeking treatment,” said Rep. Joe Cunningham, whose district includes Charleston. “The first step to solving this epidemic is speaking up and ending the stigma that prevents people from getting the help they need.”

This public awareness campaign aims to inspire individuals with opioid use disorders, as well as their families, to send an SOS and share their stories.

“The holiday season can be particularly emotional and lonely for individuals and families struggling with addiction. By sharing the stories of people impacted by opioids, we not only raise awareness of the magnitude of this crisis but we also help to shatter the silence that surrounds this disease and prevents so many from getting the help that they need for themselves or a loved one,” said Marcia Lee Taylor, executive vice president of external and government relations at the Center on Addiction. “We are proud to be working with Facebook as well as Congressmen Cunningham, Timmons and Norman to reduce stigma and shame and connect South Carolina residents to resources and support.”

Visit stopopioidsilence.org for more information.

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