For the second year in a row, the U.S. life expectancy rate has dropped.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the driving force is primarily the opioid crisis, but also a jump in suicides.
South Carolina is right at the national drug overdose death average, while North Carolina is higher.
In South Carolina, there are a growing number of families suffering from these “deaths of despair.”
Lisa and Mark Mincey lost their 21 year old son Andrew to a drug overdose in 2016.
“We’ll never forget him, he wouldn’t want us to, his brother wouldn’t want us to. His stocking is right behind us, still up,” said Mark Mincey.
This year, the Simpsonville couple started a local chapter of a support group for families who have suffered addiction related loss called GRASP.
“We should be able to talk about it reach out, ask for help. And the odds are going to be a lot better if we change our behavior and start dong it that way,” said Lisa Mincey.
2017 saw a record 70,000 overdose deaths that the CDC says contributed to a drop in U.S. life expectancy. Yet only 10% of addicts ever step into a rehab center.
That’s why FAVOR Greenville CEO Rich Jones believes it’s time his field becomes more proactive, with high tech marketing to addicts and families to help change concepts around addiction.
“We’ve never thought of that person as a customer. We’ve always thought of it as you got to get worse and you got to come see me and I’ll tell you exactly what you need to do. Those days are done,” said Jones.
In 10 months, GRASP has grown from 4 to 30 families facing the pain of loss together.
“I know that every family that comes out the other end better that he was with me, that he was smiling down and he’s proud of what mark and I are doing,” said Lisa Mincey.
“When we see him again he’s going to give us a hi five. He’ll say nice job,” said Mark Mincey.
The Mincey’s say they welcome more families to GRASP and are prepared to add more sessions as the membership continues to grow.
