A heroin addict spends five straights days detoxing on camera in Truth's latest campaign
Long-running effort turns its attention from opioid prescriptions to recovery
Editor's Pick
The Truth campaign, long a determined adversary of the tobacco industry, turned its attention to opioid abuse earlier this year. A series of graphic spots showed the lengths to which addicts will go to land another prescription for the strong painkillers.
Now Truth examines the other end of addiction--detox and recovery--with a stark and intimate look into the life of a young woman trying to move beyond years of drug dependency. “Treatment Box” displays five unfiltered days in the life of Rebekkah, a 26-year-old heroin and opioid addict, as she detoxes on camera.
The scenes of her shaky limbs, nausea, vomiting and insomnia played out on a three-dimensional installation at Astor Place in New York City in June. Passersby stopped to watch a life-size Rebekkah in her room, often huddled in bed, wracked with pain. Interspersed are short interviews where she explains that she was prescribed opioids when she was 14, after injuring her ankle during cheerleading practice. Addiction quickly followed, and two months later, she tried heroin. “I feel like I’m coming back from the dead,” she says on Day 3 of detox. A longform film out this week shows the profound effect the initiative had on audiences.
The project is a partnership with the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Ad Council, with agency partner 72andSunny. Tucker Walsh of M ss ng P eces directed the film.
Before beginning the campaign, the organizations met with a medical ethicist to determine whether the project should move forward, and the treatment protocols were reviewed by Phoenix House, a national addiction treatment program. Rebekkah was filmed around the clock for five days in a mini treatment center that was created for the shoot. The installation ran in New York for a single day.
In exchange for taking part, Rebekkah is receiving a year of free treatment. She entered a facility after filming and there has access to a psychiatrist, nurses, paramedics, a sober companion, a medical ethicist and a treatment center specialist. She is still in treatment and is reportedly doing well.
Credits
- Date
- Oct 23, 2018
- Client :
- Truth
- Agency :
- 72andSunny
- Director :
- Tucker Walsh
- Chief Executive Officer :
- Robin Koval
- Chief Marketing Officer :
- Eric Asche
- Chief Communications Officer :
- Tricia Kenney
- SVP, Marketing & Media Investment :
- Nicole Dorrler
- General Counsel :
- Robert Faulk
- Managing Director, Marketing :
- Mary Dominguez
- Creative Director/Designer :
- Garrett Jones
- Creative Director/Writer :
- Nate Virnig
- Creative Director/Writer :
- Peter Albores
- Designer :
- Garrett Combes
- Writer :
- Chase Hilton
- Strategy Director :
- Marc Pardy
- Connections Strategy Director :
- Greg White
- Brand Director :
- Danielle Gard
- Brand Manager :
- Marie Simoni
- Partnerships and Legal Director :
- Amy Jacobsen
- Partnerships and Legal Director :
- Jana Nauman
- Partnerships and Legal Manager :
- Hector Olguin
- Executive Film Producer :
- Carlin Wilson-Webb
- Executive Film Producer :
- Jim Haight
- Film Producer :
- Annie Dietz
- Director :
- Tucker Walsh
- Supervising Producer :
- Kathryn Berk
- Executive Producer :
- Dave Saltzman
- Executive Producer :
- Edward Grann
- Producer :
- Jennifer Duffy
- Producer :
- Jason Reif
- Director of Photography :
- Tristan Nyby
- Casting Director :
- Dina Buglione
- Editorial :
- White House
- Post Production :
- Carbon
- Post Producer :
- Jordan Stricklin
- Editor :
- James Dierx
- Sound Design :
- Michael Anastasi
- Music House :
- Butter
- Music Producer :
- Annick Mayer
- Music Composer :
- Vlad Berkhemer
- Managing Partner :
- Ari Kuschnir
- Managing Partner :
- Brian Latt
- Managing Partner :
- Kate Oppenheim
- Director of Immersive Content :
- Mike Woods
- Head of Production :
- Rebecca Davis
- Head of Post Production :
- Josh Sussman
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