What my addiction taught me about Big Pharma’s deceptive marketing 

Pharmaceutical manufacturers are warning that President Trump’s September memo to crack down on misleading prescription drug advertising may be a step toward censorship. I see it differently. As someone who once fell for the powerful messaging of the alcohol industry, I am glad the president is asking whether these ads are truly serving people or subconsciously harming them.

Fifteen years ago, I believed what the commercials told me. Another drink meant more fun, more connection, more of the life I thought I wanted. It reduced the stress of my work and prevented me from feeling the pains of childhood difficulties. But it also created enormous challenges that caught up to me a few years ago, as my husband and I replaced love with verbal fights in front of our two children. 

I do not blame alcohol companies for the choices I made, but as a communications professional, I know the story they sold played a role in my addiction. Nobody remembers every individual ad, but they imprint on our brains each and every time we see them.  

The memo’s directives to the Food and Drug Administration recognize this simple fact in two ways. First, it pushes back against news outlets and platforms that too often serve as megaphones for paid narratives without proper disclosures. Second, it calls for reestablishing enforcement norms that regulators have neglected for years, especially when it comes to misleading pharmaceutical advertising.  

Trump’s directive is not an overreach — it is a reminder that regulators exist to serve the public, not to enrich the industry. 

The industry’s record is among the worst in corporate America. Its misleading practices helped fuel the opioid crisis. It has spent billions in lobbying efforts in part to avoid price transparency — in fact, 2025 is on track to be a record year for lobbying expenditures. And it has raised drug prices faster than inflation for decades, all while spending up to $13.8 billion a year to market directly to consumers.  

The human cost of this deception is staggering.  

I know how destructive unchecked addiction can be. All the victims of the ongoing opioid crisis do, too. And this is about more than addiction — as when rare but real cases of myocarditis appeared in young men after mRNA vaccines. Alcohol, tobacco and vaping products now face restrictions such as prohibitions against targeting children; Big Pharma needs the same guardrails.

This is not a new problem. America has a long history of regulating industries that profit off human weakness or suffering. Tobacco ads once promised health benefits. Casinos were regulated after misleading ads sold the illusion of easy, risk-free entertainment. Both industries had their advertising tightly constrained after years of lying to consumers and harming lives. 

I learned the hard way that attractive messaging can make bad decisions feel safer. The same logic applies here. Why should Big Pharma be treated differently?

Some will argue that personal responsibility is the key to holding Big Pharma accountable, because consumers make choices with our own wallets. But society is about more than money — it has to be based on fundamental human principles. Otherwise, we will continue to shrug at manipulation and invite bigger battles like the opioid crisis to our front doors. If Big Pharma has to tell the truth about drugs' risks, that is not censorship, any more than banning cigarette sales to children was censorship.

The public will likely stand behind Trump’s principled stand because it is part of rebuilding appropriate trust in health care that cratered during the pandemic. Pharma companies and federal health officials both share blame for overpromising vaccine outcomes and failing to fully communicate risk reduction. That’s probably why a 2024 Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that 50 percent of Americans do not trust pharmaceutical companies to provide reliable vaccine information. That lack of confidence is not just about COVID; the lack of real transparency has cracked the trust between the health care system and ordinary Americans trying to understand what we are putting in our bodies. 

In the end, every issue is a human issue. Addiction, illness and vulnerability are part of the human condition. And no one will disagree that guardrails in the right place save lives. The key to the recovery my family is experiencing certainly starts with faith and trust in God, but it is helped by appropriate societal guardrails.  

That is why the Trump memo matters. It does not censor anyone. It reminds us that telling the truth is non-negotiable in a society that values both freedom and responsibility.  

Big Pharma has told its version of the story long enough. It is time for honesty to make a comeback. 

Ericka Andersen is a freelance writer and the author of Freely Sober.