The Ohio Opioid Education Alliance is a public-private partnership focused on raising awareness of the addiction crisis in Ohio. The Alliance is comprised of over 100 business, education, nonprofit, civic and government organizations. The Alliance’s objective is to challenge the mindsets of Ohioans, including reframing the approach to drug misuse prevention and eliminating stigmas associated with addiction and mental illness. Alliance members work together to make a difference in each of their respective areas of influence.

Set in the fictional gameshow Beat the Stigma, the Ohio Opioid Education Alliance’s newest campaign asks the audience to “challenge what you know about addiction.” The new campaign aims to help Ohioans understand that addiction and mental illness are complex diseases — partly the result of genetics and other factors, which are largely out of a person’s control, and not the result of moral failings or poor character. The Beat the Stigma campaign encourages Ohioans to do three things:

· Challenge what you know about addiction. When you see someone who lives with addiction, there’s always more to the story than you know. Practice empathy, not judgement.

· Know your risk. If there’s a history of addiction in your family, know that this increases your risk for addiction. Know your risk and talk to your loved ones about what this means so they can make informed choices.

· Take care of your mental health. Mental health challenges can put you at risk for substance misuse.

Visit BeatTheStigma.org where Ohioans can play a game to test their knowledge about mental illness and addiction, learn more about stigmas and access resources.

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