Chris Farley's Photo to Appear on Drug-Treatment Billboard

pwfaith · #1 (**permalink**) 04-03-2006, 10:11 AM

Chris Farley's Photo to Appear on Drug-Treatment Billboard
Deseret News (Salt Lake City)

Chris Farley, the comedian/actor who died more than eight years ago of a drug overdose, is making an appearance -- on billboards that advertise treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.

The outdoor ads -- the first major commercial use of his image approved by his family -- feature a photo of the smiling, famously bloated comic with the slogan, "It wasn't all his fault." The ads tout a new addiction treatment from Hythiam Inc.

The first billboard will appear Monday near the Chateau Marmont on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, the hotel where Farley's idol, comedian John Belushi, died of a drug overdose in 1982.

Farley -- whose wild antics on Saturday Night Live earned him comparisons to Belushi, another veteran of the show -- died Dec. 18, 1997, in Chicago of an accidental overdose of morphine and cocaine. He was 33.

I don't have a problem with the him being used on the ads, esp since his family approved it but there is something about the "It wasn't all his fault" that just bugs me. Who's fault was it then that he was doing drugs? I guess for me it's all a part of that "personal responsibility" again. I'm all for drug rehab and ppl getting help when they have an addiction (alcohol, drugs, etc), but isn't part of rehab personal responisibility and recognizing your personal fault in it? I guess I just don't get the "It wasn't all his fault" part of the ad.

What do you think of the ads and this new campaign?

NovAngel · #2 (**permalink**) 04-03-2006, 10:24 AM

Who's fault was it then that he was doing drugs?

It's was his fault for doing drugs in the first place but an addiction is a hard thing to beat...unless you've ever had an addiction you'll never understand.

ZackZaneMom · #3 (**permalink**) 04-03-2006, 10:58 AM

It was his fault, and only his fault. He was the one using the drugs, he is the one that killed himself. Maybe someone seeing the ads, will make then think, if they don't stop, they will be dead like him.

roxrkool · #4 (**permalink**) 04-03-2006, 11:44 AM

"It wasn't all his fault" is a little too cryptic, in my opinion. I don't understand exactly what that is supposed to mean either.

jillindelray · #5 (**permalink**) 04-03-2006, 12:26 PM

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix....ular&id=837700

Hythiam's Chairman & CEO Scheduled to Be Interviewed On NBC's Today Show and FOX News' FOX and Friends This Morning
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 3, 2006--

National Television Appearances Coincide with Launch of PROMETA
Awareness Campaign Featuring Images of Late Comedian Chris Farley

Hythiam, Inc. (Nasdaq:HYTM), which licenses the PROMETA(TM) treatment protocols designed to target the biology of substance dependence, announced today that Chairman and CEO Terren S. Peizer is scheduled to be interviewed on a segment for NBC's Today Show, scheduled to air today between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. local time in each of NBC's markets across the country. He is also scheduled to be interviewed live today on FOX News' FOX & Friends national news program at approximately 8:45 a.m. Eastern (5:45 a.m. Pacific).

The appearances of Mr. Peizer coincide with the launch of Hythiam's advertising campaign featuring an image of the late Chris Farley, a comedic TV and movie star whose life ended tragically -- and prematurely -- from a drug overdose. The billboard features the provocative headline, "It wasn't all his fault," next to an image of Mr. Farley. The headline is followed by the copy, "Addiction is Physical, The Treatment is Medical." The campaign will kick off in the L.A. market this week and will include outdoor billboards, signage in Burbank airport, radio advertising, online marketing, a new campaign website (www.OvercomeAddiction.com) and an aggressive public relations campaign.

About PROMETA

Hythiam's PROMETA treatment protocols are designed for use by healthcare providers seeking to treat individuals diagnosed with dependencies to alcohol, cocaine or methamphetamines, as well as combinations of these drugs. The PROMETA protocols include medically supervised procedures designed to address both the neurochemical imbalances in the brain and some of the nutritional deficits caused or worsened by substance dependence. Changes in brain chemistry and function play an important role in the physical and behavioral symptoms of substance dependence, including tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, craving and relapse. The PROMETA protocols also provide for one-month of prescription medication and nutritional supplements, combined with psychosocial or other recovery-oriented therapy chosen by the patient in conjunction with their treatment provider. As a result, PROMETA represents an innovative approach to managing alcohol, cocaine or methamphetamine dependence that is designed to address physiological, nutritional and psychosocial aspects of the disease, and is thereby intended to offer patients an opportunity to achieve sustained recovery. More information is available on the website www.prometainfo.com.

About Hythiam, Inc.

Hythiam(R) researches, develops, licenses and commercializes innovative physiological treatment protocols that seek to address substance dependence. Hythiam also provides proprietary administrative services to assist physicians and facilities with staff education, marketing and sales support, and outcomes tracking for data analysis. For further information, please click on www.hythiam.com.

i thought the tag line was confusing as well. and going to the web-site didn't clear anything up for me.

roxrkool · #6 (**permalink**) 04-03-2006, 12:43 PM

So basically, this company is saying that people can't help continuing to be addicts because once you become an addict (may or may not actually be your fault), your brain chemistry is changed by the drugs, which makes it almost impossible to stop being an addict all on your own. Therefore, addicts need the help of this company.

momof4boys · #7 (**permalink**) 04-03-2006, 01:30 PM

Who's fault was it then that he was doing drugs?

Well of course it wasn't his fault. It was the fault of the people who gave him the drugs. Just like it's McDonalds fault that people are fat. Just like it's Philip Morris' fault that people die of lung cancer from smoking. There is no such thing as personal responsibility anymore, we are either 'born that way' or we blame other people. We don't make choices anymore, it's much easier to just pass the blame onto someone else.

Okay, I'll stop with the sarcasm. Seriously, it IS all his fault. Noone held a gun to his head, he CHOSE to put that crap into his body. Had he been 12 years old with parents who knew he was doing drugs or drinking, then I would say yes, it was someone else's fault, but he was an ADULT, so it was HIS fault and his fault alone.

crkramp · #8 (**permalink**) 04-03-2006, 03:37 PM

It's just marketing. This ad is being run by a company that makes money off of addicts admitting that they have a problem. This ad enables these addicts to come forward. It would be different if this were being run by a government agency, but it's done by a company that stands to profit, and so I guess, whatever works for them.