South Carolina coaches join fight against preventing opioid abuse in high schools
South Carolina coaches are doing their part to help with the fight against opioid use among high school students and athletes.
The state’s coaches are taking part in the Coaches vs. Overdoses program, which is creating awareness to the problem and promoting the initiative this month. South Carolina is one of four states participating in the program along with Texas, Delaware and Maryland.
“It is one of those things when you see and hear what’s going on, the only option is to try and prevent all that,” South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association president-elect Scott Earley told The State. “It is a statewide effort to make sure we show how serious this is.”
The campaign was spearheaded by former Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame defensive lineman Randy White, whose son-in-law died when he took a single pill for knee pain that was unknowingly laced with fentanyl.
White hopes the program will expand to other states in the future.
“If we can save one life, it’s worth it,” White said at a Coaches vs. Overdoses event in Texas this week. “The more people that get educated and spread the word, the better we’re going to be in fighting this problem.”
The program has the support of the South Carolina Legislature and is being funded by a grant from the South Carolina Opioid Relief Fund. S.C. Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette will attend Friday night’s Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach football game to help promote the program and be part of the pregame coin toss.
Sunday is National Drug Take Back Day around South Carolina.
“Opioids are ravaging our communities. It’s up to all of us to speak up. Coaches vs. Overdoses helps to fight back and save lies,” South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a statement. “Often, opioid abuse starts young. Having coaches recognize the signs of opioid use in their student-athletes is crucial, and I’m proud to support their efforts.”
The use of opioids — which alleviate pain — is on the rise throughout the country, and various studies have shown their effects among high school students and athletes:
▪ According to the Newport Academy, about 2,000 teenagers abuse prescription drugs each day for the first time.
▪ According to the National Institutes for Health, more than 28% of student-athletes will receive an opioid prescription at some point, one of the highest rates of any student population.
▪ High school athletes’ lifetime opioid use ranges from 28% to 46%, according to the National Library of Medicine.
▪ According to Partnership to End addiction, almost 70% of teens who misuse prescription drugs get them from friends, family or acquaintances.
The Coaches vs. Overdoses program will distribute more than 130,000 at-home drug disposal kits at more than 250 high school events in South Carolina this fall. The kits also will be handed out at winter sporting events as well. The University of Pennsylvania found that proper drug disposal increases to 92% when education is part of the distribution of the kits.
Public-service announcements also were being made at high school football games in October, which is Substance Abuse Prevention Month. A digital coach’s playbook was sent to parents, athletes and community members to warn about the dangers of prescription opioid misuse.
“The response has been great,” Earley said. “When you look at it, South Carolina has done more than other state in the country, getting the word out, the product out. The people in this state, from our legislators to our educators, have been great in supporting this and hopefully it makes a difference.”
