COLUMBIA, S.C. — For the first time in ten years, overdose deaths in South Carolina are down.

In 2023, the state recorded just over 2,100 overdose deaths-- which is a 6% drop from the previous year.

Sara Goldsby, Director of the Office of Substance Use services , says the decline is spreading.

“They’re down not only in South Carolina but across the nation right now, which is a big relief,” she said.

Officials say the drop comes from more people getting connected to treatment and programs designed to prevent overdoses.

Julia Horan, Director of the Substance Use Prevention Unit at the Department of Public Health, says personal connections through peer recovery services have been leading the decline.

“With peer recovery services, that personal connection to get someone into treatment

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