CVS Health Foundation pairs with DoSomething.org on pain med abuse campaign

NEW YORK - DoSomething.org and the CVS Health Foundation on Tuesday announced a new campaign called "Explain the Pain Text."



Abuse and misuse of prescription pain medication has reached epidemic levels in the U.S. In fact, 44% of people personally know someone who has been addicted to pain medication. The "Explain the Pain Text" campaign asks young people to share an SMS text message resource with friends to educate them on ways to keep friends safe from prescription pain medication abuse and misuse.



"We are committed to helping communities prevent prescription medication abuse, and we know DoSomething.org is a leader in reaching young people and providing support around key issues that affect them," stated Eileen Howard Boone, president, CVS Health Foundation. "Through this partnership we will raise awareness of the dangers of prescription medication misuse and share critical information around proper disposal of medications and healthy behaviors for young people."



"Young people listen to other young people," said Adam Garner, campaigns manager at DoSomething.org. "If you want them to change their mind or take an issue seriously, they're more likely to do it if their friend tells them to. That's why we built 'Explain the Pain Text' as a tool for young people to educate their friends and help them start the conversation about the issue of prescription pain medication abuse and misuse."



From today through Dec. 31, young people can visit DoSomething.org/Explain to sign up for the campaign and share the text message resource with friends. People who sign up will receive a short, 10-minute SMS experience with tips on how to help someone suffering from an addiction, intervention tactics, and ways to keep their community safe.



To kick off the campaign, DoSomething.org has released a video on social media educating young people on the prescription pain medication epidemic.



The campaign will also encourage young people and their families to participate in The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day happening on Oct. 22 across the country. It's a day which aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs that are expired or no longer needed.