Facebook Helping in the Fight Against Opioid Addiction
Where would the world be without Facebook? For years, the social media platform has been the place to go to catch up with friends and family, see what your ex is up to, find funny memes, and watch videos at work. Facebook has also been the place to go to find out what’s going on in the world of addiction. There are many, many pages dedicated to addiction awareness and fighting this growing epidemic. These pages keep up-to-date on things such as the overdose rate, new drugs that have come on the scene, and breaking news stories as it relates to the drug crisis. It’s also become a place for families to go to share their stories after losing a loved one to a drug overdose, in the hopes that it will help another family avoid such heartache. Facebook has become so influential that the company has decided to launch a huge effort in New Mexico to help fight the drug problem in the state.
According to the Miami Herald, last Tuesday Facebook announced that they will be working with the Attorney General of the State of New Mexico. AG Hector Balderas, together with Facebook, will be showing people in the state how to use Facebook’s tools, online groups, communities, etc., to help fight addiction. New Mexico has dealt with opioid addiction for years and the crisis has unfortunately claimed generations of family members. It makes sense that Facebook would start an anti-drug campaign in the area, given the drug epidemic has hit it so hard.
The Attorney General said that he’s very excited about Facebook’s blitz in the area because he thinks it might really help the opioid problem. AG Balderas said, “I believe this is the type of effort that can save lives. I am excited they are willing to be partners in this public safety crisis.“
I think it will help too. There are many people out there who don’t know how to use Facebook and the tools it has to offer. Not everyone out there is computer savvy and not everyone out there knows how to use social media, such as the older generations. Younger people know how to use it and new startup companies have even built their empires, in a large part, through social media. It seems to be the way of the world these days and millions of users flock to the site each day to check in and see what’s going on. Personally, as a blog writer, I frequent many pages to keep me up-to-date with this drug epidemic. It’s where I find breaking stories that I can then report back to you. Of course, I also use traditional media outlets as well. The point is—if more people knew how to use Facebook, the wealth of information that resides there might keep a family from losing a loved one or be able to recognize the signs of addiction and prevent a budding problem from getting worse. Facebook has truly changed how the world gets its information, so why not continue putting it to good use?
