After three decades, the Opioid Epidemic in the United States is worse than ever before: More than 6.1 million people suffer from opioid use disorder. Every 6 minutes, someone dies from an overdose.

However, because some people rely on them for valid medical reasons, opioids will remain widely accessible. Also, every pill in the US comes with a mandatory unique imprint code, such as OP for oxycodone, IP33 for codeine, or C for fentanyl. These codes are often used as “street names” for the actual opioids. Idea: 855-HOW-TO-QUIT. A helpline that reaches out to people in the most critical moment – when they have a pill in their hand. It turns the object of addiction into a way out, by using the mandatory imprint codes on opioid pills into phone extensions: codeine (IP33) is dialed as 4733, oxycodone (K9) as 59.

The caller then hears the story of someone who managed to quit that very pill – live whenever the survivors’ availability allows, pre-recorded for 24/7 service. Followed by live advice from experts and concrete treatment options nearby. Impact: Within the first 4 weeks, the campaign reached 137M people through OOH, film, and PR. Over 8000 calls came in during that time, with an average call duration of 4:12 minutes.

Additionally, more than 3600 treatment referrals were placed and 137 people contacted us to share their own stories of recovery. The project has received $295,924 in public funding.