Ad Campaigns
Doctor Against Addiction launches ‘A Prescription for Deaddiction’ campaign
Mumbai: With various forms of addictions becoming rampant and widespread resulting in fissures in family and personal lives, a steep increase in accidents and crime rate, Doctor Against Addiction (DaAD) has launched a sustained campaign called ‘A Prescription for Deaddiction’. The sharp-focused campaign seeks to empower doctors to play an active role in reducing various forms of addictions by intervening as early as possible at the consultation level.
“At the heart of the campaign lies a powerful symbol – “HRx.” This symbol represents a prescription for harm reduction, a commitment by doctors to address the harm caused by addiction and harmful behaviours. It serves as a beacon of hope and change. ‘A Prescription for Deaddiction’ is not just a campaign; it’s a call for action. It envisions a healthcare landscape where doctors can be champions of change, equipped with the knowledge, compassion, and tools needed to address harmful behaviours. Often, doctors routinely check height, weight, BP and sugar levels. Now they are being trained to identify classical symptoms of addictions of various forms,” said Doctors Against Addiction (DaAD) chief coordinator Dr Manish Sharma.
The “HRx” symbol allows doctors to specify the form of addiction or harmful behaviour they aim to address.
The genesis of Doctors Against Addiction (DaAD) became imminent because in an increasingly complex world, individuals often find solace in various forms of behaviour and substances, from gadget addiction and alcohol to drugs and tobacco. While these may offer temporary relief or pleasure, they can also lead to significant harm to both the individual and society at large.
Doctors Against Addiction (DaAD) is of the opinion that healthcare professionals can make a profound difference in deaddiction and promote healthier lifestyles as they are closely knit to the patients.
Deliberating on potential of Doctors Against Addiction (DaAD), and doctor-patient relationship, Yashoda Super-specialty Hospital, Kaushambi, Ghaziabad, DM – infectious disease, senior consultant Dr Chhavi Gupta said, “The foundation of any fruitful doctor-patient relationship is trust. And this is achieved when patients feel comfortable sharing their concerns, even when those concerns revolve around potentially harmful behaviours. By creating an atmosphere of trust and non-judgment, healthcare professionals can empower patients to open up and seek help. During these conversations, they can effectively counsel patients on deaddiction.”
Doctors are now being trained to patiently listen and ask open-ended questions in an effort to identify the type of addiction and reduce the stigma surrounding it through compassionate and tailormade dialogue.
‘A Prescription for Deaddiction’ (DaAD) is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It is a personalised approach, adapting strategies to individual patient needs for effective interventions. It emphasizes involving patients in setting deaddiction goals and maintaining regular follow-ups for progress. Now, healthcare professionals are trained to advocate for addiction awareness and support community initiatives.
“Beyond physical harm, excessive behaviours can wreak havoc on mental well-being leading to anxiety, depression, and a diminished sense of self-worth. Alcohol and drug abuse can lead to altered mood states, cognitive impairment, and exacerbation of pre-existing mental health conditions. However, by approaching the conversation without judgment, healthcare professionals can make patients feel respected and understood. Consistent monitoring reinforces the doctor-patient partnership. And “A Doctors Against Addiction (DaAD) is a step forward in this direction, to help patients achieve their deaddiction goals,” said Indian Medical Association (IMA) former general secretary Dr Narender Saini.
Excessive behaviours significantly impact physical health. Excessive screen time causes digital eye strain, disrupted sleep, and posture issues. Alcohol and drug abuse lead to liver damage, cardiovascular problems, addiction-related illnesses, and overdose. These immediate and tangible effects highlight the need for moderation.
‘A Prescription for Deaddiction’ envisages to address the issue of addiction holistically, wipe out stigmas and mainstream the affected individuals.
NATIONAL: Amazon Ads has laid out a sharply tech-led vision for the advertising industry in 2026, arguing that artificial intelligence, streaming TV and creator partnerships will combine to turn brand building into a more precise, performance-driven business.
At the heart of the shift, the company says, is the fusion of AI with Amazon’s vast trove of shopping, browsing and streaming signals, allowing advertisers to move beyond blunt reach metrics to campaigns designed around real customer behaviour.
“The future of advertising is not about reaching more people, but the right people with messages that resonate,” said Amazon Ads India head and vice president Girish Prabhu. “By combining AI with deep customer insights, we help brands move from broadcasting campaigns to having meaningful conversations wherever audiences spend their time.”
One of the biggest changes, according to Amazon Ads, will be the collapse of the wall between media planning and creative development. Retail media, powered by first-party data, is increasingly shaping everything from brand discovery to final purchase, pushing marketers to design campaigns around audience insight rather than internal instinct.
AI is also moving from a support tool to a creative engine. Agentic AI, which automates and accelerates production, is expected to make high-quality creative accessible even to small businesses, compressing weeks of work into hours and giving challengers the ability to compete with larger brands on speed and scale.
Behind the scenes, AI-driven analytics will take on a bigger role in campaign optimisation, identifying patterns, spotting opportunities and recommending actions that would previously have required teams of analysts.
Streaming TV is another big battleground. With India’s video streaming audience now above 600 million and connected TV users at 129.2 million in 2025, advertisers are set to treat streaming not just as a branding channel but as a performance engine, measured increasingly by sales, sign-ups and bookings rather than just reach.
Finally, Amazon Ads sees creators and contextual advertising reshaping how brands tell stories. Creators will act less like influencers and more like long-term partners, while scene-aware ads on streaming platforms will allow brands to insert hyper-relevant offers into the flow of what viewers are watching.
Taken together, Amazon Ads argues, these shifts mark a move towards advertising that is both more human and more measurable, where AI handles the complexity, and creativity does the persuading.
