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The opioid crisis is something that can’t be fought alone, but when one person shows a little sympathy, it might be the one action that saves hundreds of lives. That is the “help multiplier effect”.
The multiplier effect in economics is simple: The concept of how a single dollar, when changing hands, can have an impact on the economy that is larger than $1.
For example, a simple $5 matcha latte may seem like a small purchase and mean almost nothing in the economy. But when that $5 is used to pay for salaries, it can be repurposed to buy more consumer goods, which eventually benefits the economy with an impact larger than a dollar.
This effect can also be repurposed for the opioid crisis, but instead of money, it can be an act of helping someone. When one person decides to help another person through opioid addiction by checking up on them, being by their side through hard times, and making sure they recover.
That kindness goes a long way.
When you help one person work through their addiction, your actions might not only benefit one person – they can affect entire communities. When you help one person, their shared experience of this traumatic event doesn’t lead them to live a normal life; it leads them to live a life that might help more people.
Keven Pecorello’s story is a perfect example. On Facebook three years ago, Keven shared his battle with opioids, helping paint a dark picture of where he was with his opioid addiction. But in that moment, it was his mom — the one person who helped Kevin at that time — who was the turning point that saved his life.
At that time, instead of judging Keven and distancing herself from him like many have from their close ones, she didn’t judge him — she just helped him find treatment.
And that moment of sincere worry and care, and not judgment, helped lay a foundation for something bigger. Today, Keven works at a treatment center called Milestone, assisting others to get their lives back from opioid addiction. The same help that his mom has given Keven is now something he gives to dozens of people who are struggling with addiction.
Keven’s recovery became a multiplier: A true example of how one person helped, and now dozens more are being helped.
Today, it is not only Keven; many of the people who help patients work through their addiction are people who are recovering. From a renowned TED talk speaker, Scott McFadden, famous rapper Eminem, and so many more.
It is through these stories that we help find the true impact of the “help multiplier effect” to show that no act of kindness is too small. A single conversation, a phone call, or offering support can set off a chain reaction.
Keven’s and others’ stories prove that our judgment shouldn’t be the reason we don’t help people. So, be the start of the “help multiplier effect,” because your actions might be the reason we build back what opioids took away from our communities.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
