The Problem
Why do we need this campaign to save our children?
The effects of drug and substance abuse on the citizens of our nation are truly a national disaster! Think about it! Every year hundreds of thousands of our citizens— most of them young — are killed or die from drug-related causes.
But deaths aren’t the only problem. Psychic wards are overflowing with young people who have damaged their brains; prisons are full of people who committed crimes to get drugs or because of drugs; and homeless shelters and our streets are overflowing with people who are mentally ill or have lost their way because of drugs. Drug-related injuries and illness cost all of us.
This doesn’t include:
480,000 die from nicotine,
140,000 die from excessive alcohol use
11,654 die in traffic because someone thought they could make it home
24,000 take their lives because of depression or mental illness.
The following outlines significant issues relating to the effects of drugs on our society and the quality of life we enjoy.
Drugs and Crime
Some estimates show that 80% of crime is drug related. The Bureau of Justice Statistics tells us approximately 20% of crimes are to get drugs whereas many judges believe drugs account for approximately 80%of all crimes.
Substance abuse is the leading cause of domestic violence is substance-abuse.
Drugs and Automobiles
Impaired driving is one of the leading causes of fatal crashes in the United States.
More than 20.5 million people drove under the influence of alcohol, and 12.6 million drove under the influence of illicit drugs in the past year. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/drugged-driving
Drugs and Homelessness
Homelessness and mental illness are closely related. Studies show that 70% of the homeless population were receiving mental health treatment or had in the past. HTTPS:// mentalillnesspolicy.org/consequences/homeless-mentally-ill.html
Estimates that 20% of Homeless People suffer from Schizophrenia.
Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness for women. https://homelesslaw.org/
Drugs and Mental illness
Long-term or frequent drug use can directly result in schizophrenia. https://www.thefreedomcenter.com/
Drugs and Suicide
According to multiple studies, over 50% of suicides are associated with dependence on drugs and alcohol, and at least 25% of people with alcohol or drug addiction commit suicide. Additionally, more than 70% of adolescent suicides are associated with drug and alcohol use and dependence https://doi.org/10.1300/J069v10n03_06
The War on Drugs
We’ve all heard, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Maybe someone should tell our government because they spend more than half of the Federal Drug Control Budget, over $19 billion on drug treatment, where only 5% is used to prevent people from using drugs.
Research shows that for each dollar invested in prevention, savings of up to $10 in treatment for alcohol or other substance abuse can be seen.
Government Campaigns
Efforts such as the “Just Say No” campaign of the 1982s was a very popular notion for some, but they failed because the education part wasn’t there.
You may remember seeing the “This is your brain,” Campaign. This was especially popular with drug users.
I remember it well. I also remember one stoned kid asking, “Can I get ’em with bacon and pancakes?” His buddy laughed and said, “I’ll take mine over easy.”
Other Government Ideas
Here are a few other ideas(1) our government thinks may help with drug abuse:
Training mice to binge drink alcohol (NIH)…………………………………….$1,100,000
Injecting 6-month-old beagle puppies with cocaine (NIH) …………….$2,300,000
Watching hamsters fight on steroids (NIH)……………………..………….…..$3,000,000
Where Do We Go From Here?
If things continue as they have, this disaster will continue.
The Saving Our Children Campaign is the Solution
Prevention
We all know that prevention works. That’s why we tell our kids to look both ways before they cross the street. We drum it into their heads from the time they are old enough to cross the street. Do kids still get hit? Yes, but there is no way to know how many children are spared because of these warnings.
The Jaws Effect
It’s a real thing!
The lasting effect of Jaws is well known. In 2015, Christopher Neff from the University of Sydney, Australia, proposed the term the “Jaws effect,” positing that the film’s storyline has had a massive influence on people’s framing of shark encounters. The three basic tenets of the “Jaws effect” are the belief that sharks intentionally bite humans, that human-shark encounters are always fatal, and that sharks should be killed to prevent future attacks.
Since the release of Jaws in 1975, shark populations have only fallen catastrophically. Over the last half-decade, populations of sharks and rays (a close evolutionary relative) have decreased by 71%. More than 100 million sharks are killed each year.
The sustained negative portrayal by the media and Hollywood “makes people more likely to want potentially lethal mitigation techniques” against sharks.
Educational Entertainment & Multi-Media Campaigns
Multi-media campaigns work!
We produced a half-hour film called One Family’s Battle. It’s the story of a normal young man who experimented with alcohol and then started smoking marijuana. His sister described how he went from marijuana to heroin and fell into an addiction he was unable to shake. He tried 25 times to break free and finally, the 26th time was a charm. His life seemed to be on the right track and he meets a woman whom he falls in love with. She had a son and soon Eric and Randy become fast friends. Eric has a work-related injury and somehow ends up using heroin again. Sadly, Eric overdoses and dies. Linda goes on to tell about the effect on the family and little Randy. The emotional impact of watching this movie is very powerful for most of us.
The 30-minute program was broadcast in the Sunday, 7 pm timeslot over the course of the following year. We purchased time slots on 26 television stations and broadcast it throughout most of Oregon and a large part of Northern California.
Prior to the broadcasts, we put on an extensive marketing campaign that included radio spots, television spots, newspaper ads, flyers, posters, direct mail, email marketing, and local presentations to service clubs.
Because of these efforts, for the days and weeks that followed the broadcast, administrators of drug treatment centers told us that their intake calls and new patient enrollments had doubled and tripled.
The following year the Oregon State Medical Examiner reported that heroin-related deaths plummeted by more than 50%.
The Best Way to Teach
We all know the best way to teach is by telling stories, and research done by Keepin’ It Real prevention education illustrates its effectiveness.
The technique allows viewers to gain a life experience by watching a sympathetic character make a mistake and pay a price while the viewer isn’t exposed to any danger.
It’s Never too Early
It’s never too early to talk to your kids about drugs. Talk to them directly and honestly. They are more likely to respect your rules and advice about alcohol and drug use. If you talk with your children early and often about alcohol and other drugs, you can protect them from the high-risk behaviors associated with using drugs.
This Year’s Story
Eric’s Song is based on a true story about a teen who becomes addicted to meth. It begins with an innocent encounter with an older girl who entices him to try a “party favor.” After a series of encounters with the drug, he can’t stop using it. We see, firsthand how he travels the path of many young people who do anything to get drugs. We witness what his addiction does to him, his friends, and his family. We watch as he attempts to get free. The purpose of this film is to show a realistic view of drug addiction.
Based on previous campaigns and scientific research, we are confident that this story will resonate with young people, especially young men (research shows that 70% of boys are more likely to experiment with drugs).
This is a similar story to One Family’s Battle, the 1999 television program. It was a huge success in teaching people about addiction.
The target audience for this show is young males. Research shows that they are less willing to use a resistance strategy to avoid substance use. (2)
(2) Hecht, M. L., Warren, J. R., Wagstaff, D. A., & Elek, E. (2008). Substance use, resistance skills, decision making, and refusal efficacy among preadolescents. Health communication, 23(4), 349-357.
The Comic Book
An important part of this campaign is to print and distribute a 32-page comic-style book to schools, sponsors, and any additional outlet that will help us get it into the hands of children ages 10 to 12.
The comic tells the same story as the movie.
The cover is designed to be appealing to males because 70% of boys are more likely to engage in risky behavior and experimentation.
It is appropriate for all ages. Written at about the fourth-grade level, it is easy to understand and the message is clear.
Parents are encouraged to read the book to their children in a single sitting of about 15 minutes.
A discussion guide, similar to Saving Our Children, Five Minutes a Day to Drug-Free Kids will be available for discussions about the movie between parents/teachers and child viewers.
Request Information about the Saving Our Children Campaign
SPONSORS: If you would like information about sponsoring one of our community Saving Our Children Campaigns, write us at Info@TomMonsonProductions.com and we will get back to you.
COMMUNITY MEMBERS: If you would like more information about helping to organize a Saving Our Children Campaign in your community, please contact us at info@TomMonsonProductions.com and we will contact you.
Saving Our Children Campaign Details
The campaign will be coordinated over a three-month period with the same voracity as any marketing campaign to promote an important event.
Television – local
Broadcast – purchase time to broadcast educational entertainment programming
YouTube – worldwide distribution
Vimeo – content designed for classroom streaming and discussion
Comic Book
Schools – delivered to participating schools
Churches – delivered to participating churches
Individuals – available at participating locations
Radio – local
Broadcast – promote the message and drive traffic
Internet – promote the message and drive traffic
Social Media
Facebook – promote the message and drive traffic
Instagram – promote the message and drive traffic
TikTok – promote the message and drive traffic
Newspaper – promote the message and drive traffic
Tabloids – promote the message and drive traffic
Periodicals – promote the message and drive traffic
News Outlets
Associated Press – raise awareness and support
Reuters – raise awareness and support
Bloomberg – raise awareness and support
The New York Times – raise awareness and support
The Washington Post – raise awareness and support
Public Service Announcements
To raise awareness and support
Search Engine Optimization
Google – drive traffic
Bing – drive traffic
Native Advertising
Taboola – promote the message and drive traffic
Brax.io – promote the message and drive traffic
Since the advertising and marketing landscape is changing rapidly, additional marketing will also be explored and entertained.
Background of Saving Our Children Campaign
Tom Monson Productions was established in 1986 to provide educational material for business owners. In 1992 a crime prevention division was established to help businesses deal with the growing problems of shoplifting, employee theft, and fraud. In 1992, when founder Tom Monson’s son was tragically killed a new division was created to deal with drug and substance abuse education.
In January 1998, Crank County aired in Southern Oregon and received an extremely positive reaction, causing sponsors to want additional sponsorship opportunities.
The following year, One Family’s Battle aired on all five television stations on the same night at the same time. This unprecedented “roadblock” had never before been accomplished in any television market in the United States – outside a catastrophic event (see Award Article).
Since then Tom Monson Productions has created and aired eleven additional projects (see program listings below).
Most of the broadcasts were underwritten by businesses and organizations redirecting advertising and marketing dollars because their participation was rewarded with television, radio, newspaper, posters, and a host of other promotions.
These regional broadcasts resulted in saving the lives of so many sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, and friends.
Here’s an example: One Family’s Battle was broadcast over 26 television stations over the course of one year. The following year the number of heroin-related deaths plummet by more than 50%. We know it was the broadcast because the day following admissions to many drug-treatment centers increased dramatically — tripled in some cases.
Request Information about the Saving Our Children Campaign
SPONSORS: If you would like information about sponsoring one of our community Saving Our Children Campaigns, write us at Info@TomMonsonProductions.com and we will get back to you.
COMMUNITY MEMBERS: If you would like more information about helping to organize a Saving Our Children Campaign in your community, please contact us at info@TomMonsonProductions.com and we will contact you.
Oregon Campaign
The best reward for us is the work we do. We never seek awards but when one comes our way, we are always glad to get the recognition.
Program Listings
