Raising awareness of the impact of drugs and alcohol on individuals, families and wider communities
The Challenge
Lawrence Davis was commissioned by the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Violence Reduction Alliance to develop two powerful awareness campaigns exploring the far-reaching consequences of drugs and alcohol.
The campaigns, Choices and No Choice, were created to encourage people to stop, think and consider how their actions can affect not only their own lives, but also their families, friends, relationships and wider communities.
The Violence Reduction Alliance wanted to communicate two difficult and sensitive issues in a way that felt authentic, emotionally engaging and non judgemental.
- The Choices campaign needed to demonstrate how excessive alcohol consumption and drug use can affect a person’s judgement, lower their inhibitions and contribute to violent behaviour.
- The No Choice campaign focused on the hidden consequences of casual and recreational drug use, particularly the vulnerable children who may be exploited, threatened or abused by criminals to transport and deliver drugs.
The challenge was to create campaigns that would connect with audiences on a personal level, while avoiding language or creative that felt overly instructional or accusatory.
Lawrence Davis developed the full creative direction for both campaigns. The finished campaigns were created for use across digital, social, educational and community settings, allowing schools, colleges, sports clubs, local organisations and partner agencies to share the messages with their audiences.
Campaign Delivery
Campaign Strategy & Concept Development
Research & Consultation
Scriptwriting & Messaging
Film Production
Art Direction
Campaign Branding
Posters & Printed Materials
Social Media Assets
Digital Content
Partner Media Packs
Supporting Website Content
Our Approach
Before developing the campaign concepts, our team carried out detailed research and consulted with individuals who had been directly affected by alcohol and drug-related harm.
Listening to these lived experiences was a vital part of the creative process. It helped us understand the emotional reality behind the issues and ensured that the campaigns were grounded in real life consequences rather than assumptions.
The stories and insights shared during this process informed the tone, messaging and visual direction of both campaigns.
Our approach was centred around powerful storytelling, showing how one decision can create a chain of events with serious and potentially lifelong consequences.
Choices
The Choices campaign follows the impact of alcohol and drug use on a night out.
It demonstrates how quickly behaviour can change when judgement is impaired and how one decision can lead to violence, loss, damaged relationships and consequences that extend far beyond the moment itself.
The campaign was designed not to judge people for drinking alcohol, but to encourage greater awareness of personal limits, behaviour and responsibility.
No Choice
The No Choice campaign highlights the reality faced by vulnerable children who are criminally exploited to deliver drugs.
While casual drug users may believe their actions cause little or no harm, the campaign reveals the wider network of abuse, intimidation and violence that can sit behind the supply of illegal drugs.
The creative concept places a strong focus on the child at the centre of that exploitation, reinforcing the message that while the drug user may feel they have a choice, the child delivering the drugs often does not.
The Outcome
Both campaigns launched on 8 June 2026 and were supported by the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Violence Reduction Alliance, Staffordshire Police and local partner organisations.
The campaigns provide a strong platform for conversations around alcohol related violence, casual drug use and child criminal exploitation.
By combining lived experience with emotionally powerful storytelling, the films encourage audiences to look beyond the immediate decision and consider the people who may be affected by it.
These campaigns were shaped by the voices and experiences of people who have been directly affected by alcohol and drug-related harm. Taking the time to research and understand those lived experiences was vital in helping us create films that are authentic, emotionally powerful and grounded in reality.
We are proud to have worked alongside the Violence Reduction Alliance on campaigns that address difficult subjects, encourage important conversations and have the potential to make a meaningful difference.
Dawn Bezus
Managing Director
Lawrence Davis
A Personal Responsibility
For our team, this project carried a significant sense of responsibility.
These were not simply campaign messages. They were stories shaped by people who had experienced the consequences of drugs, alcohol, violence and exploitation first-hand.
Taking the time to listen, research and understand those experiences allowed us to create work that was honest, respectful and grounded in reality.
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