What You Need to Know About Addiction in Four Minutes: Addiction Policy Forum Releases Dramatic, Understandable Video on Opioids' Brain Impact, Prevention, and Treatment

WASHINGTON, July 20, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today Jessica Hulsey Nickel, President of the Addiction Policy Forum   released a simple, direct 4-minute explainer video, "What is Addiction?", which illustrates the opioid epidemic our country faces, the brain science of addiction, and tells how to take action.

Nickel, who last month was one of the first witnesses to testify in front of both the White House Christie Commission and Director Francis Collins's new Opioid Initiative at NIH, said that addiction has quadrupled in America over the past two decades.

Using a hijacker metaphor, she said that "the video demonstrates how repeated substance use can overpower the brain's hardwiring, causing drug seeking behavior and changes in primary motivations – exceeding the need for food, sex, and even caring for your children, as the video shows." The video also shows how substance use disorder "changes the survival hardwiring deep within the brain." However, Nickel explained, "There is hope. Addiction is preventable and treatable. The video provides important information on what works in prevention, treatment and recovery. People can get better. We need to treat addiction like the medical issue it is," Nickel said in releasing the video. "It's our hope America can watch, learn and take action to confront this illness which is running rampant in America."

Here is the link to watch the video: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRyeAL9tAVs

Here also is a link to the "video explainer": http://www.addictionpolicy.org/what-is-addiction

The opioid epidemic is having a devastating effect on public health and safety across the United States. According to the CDC, drug overdoses now surpass automobile accidents as the leading cause of injury-related death for Americans aged 25 to 64. More than 144 Americans die as a result of overdose every day, the equivalent to two sold-out 747s crashing every week in America.

This video is a tool to educate all audiences across the country on the science and responses to addiction. By equipping families with this resource, they can better understand addiction, educate others, and have better resources to address addiction in their own localities. 

About: The Addiction Policy Forum is a 501(c)3 established in 2015 as a diverse partnership of organizations, policymakers, and stakeholders committed to working together to elevate awareness around addiction, and to improve programs and policy through a comprehensive response that includes prevention, treatment, recovery, and criminal justice reform. Jessica Hulsey Nickel, whose own family was devastated by addiction, is the founder of a coalition of 1,200 families impacted by substance abuse disorders and is available for further explanation and interviews by media—contact Bob Weiner [email protected] 301-283-0821, cell 202-306-1200.

Contacts: Bob Weiner, 301-283-0821/cell 202-306-1200 [email protected] ; and Jay Ruais 603.475.0332 [email protected]; Addiction Policy Forum

SOURCE Robert Weiner Associates and Addiction Policy Forum

Related Links

http://www.addictionpolicy.org