Hey Greenville. 👋 If it’s alright with all of you, we’d like to take a minute away from talking about restaurant openings + city developments to share something a little deeper, which greatly impacts our community.

It’s no secret that our country is struggling with an opioid epidemic, but the Upstate may be struggling more than other places. Drug overdoses resulting in deaths nationally recently saw a drop for the first time since 1990, but the same cannot be said for S.C. In 2018, S.C. saw 816 opioid overdose deaths – a 9% increase from 2017.

And from what data shows, the number of drug-related deaths in our region shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise. According to the DEA’s latest report, from 2006 to 2012, there were 171,304,657 prescription pain pills supplied to Greenville County. That’s enough pills for 56 pills per person for a year.

Prescription pain pills aren’t the only problem. The biggest rise in overdoses involving opioids in S.C. are cases that involve synthetic opioids, especially fentanyl, which is reportedly stronger than heroin + has dramatically worsened the overdose crisis. The Post and Courier recently reported that Greenville is getting hit harder with fentanyl-related overdoses than anywhere else in the state.

Tomorrow (Saturday, Aug. 31) is International Overdose Awareness Day – a global event to raise awareness of overdoses, reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths, and acknowledge the grief felt by families + friends.

In Greenville, we have the opportunity to recognize this issue + show support by wearing purple to signify loss, or even just having a conversation about ways to combat this epidemic.

No matter how you decide to recognize the day, please remember that if you’re struggling with an addiction, you can always seek help by contacting one of the several rehab centers in our area.