Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, alcohol consumption skyrocketed across the country, as many adults turned to alcohol as a way to cope with life’s stressors. However, adults with mild to moderate alcohol use disorder (AUD) often didn’t consider their drinking to be problematic.
We worked with the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency to develop a new ad as part of their It’s Up to Us Campaign designed to encourage adults with mild to moderate AUD to seek support now. Our ad “Could Alcohol Be Causing You More Stress?” focused on how alcohol can disrupt daily life and increase feelings of being out of control. We featured relatable scenarios where alcohol can make the situation worse to show the audience that it’s the alcohol causing more stress.The ad encouraged the audience to visit the campaign website, where we provided resources about mental health and ways to cope with stress outside of alcohol use. The home page featured a short quiz designed to help the audience better understand if they might be at-risk for AUD, and it included an interactive module to correct common myths about alcohol use.
If you'd like to learn more about our approach to creating substance use prevention programs, please visit our alcohol education approach page.