Metro Drug Coalition

12/27/2025

At the beginning of this year, Harley moved closer to her kids and gave birth to her baby.

She soon realized she didn't have the support she needed and became discouraged so she started drinking again.

That wasn't what she wanted for herself and her baby, and eventually she arrived at Susannah's house.

It was peaceful at Susannah's house, and it gave her the space to work on herself. She doesn’t know where she'd be without Susannah's house.

In an ACEs class, she learned she has a high ACES score. Talking about it brought up some hard memories, but she says it helped her. She enjoyed the ACEs classes where the focus was on positive experiences more than the negative.

"I just want people to know that no matter how bad your parents are, how bad your life is, or how bad you were in addiction, it gets better," she shared. "Don't rush through it, because it really takes time to work on yourself."

She's excited about the future, including having her own place to share with her kids.

12/23/2025

Congrats again to our 2025 Community Champion Winners!

A big thanks to all our sponsors
Cornerstone of Recovery
The Pavilion at Hunter Valley Farm
American Addiction Centers
ReVida Recovery
Knoxville Utilities Board
Planned Parenthood
Creekside Behavioral Health
Cirque Lodge Foundation

We're grateful for those who spoke:
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs
Sam French, MDC board of directors president
Dr. Limitless Williams, Keynote Speaker
Webster Bailey, Executive Director of MDC
Kenny King, Coalition Chair

Thank you Romelia Photography for helping us capture this event.

12/23/2025

Make the most out of holiday celebrations by staying sober, designating a driver, or calling for a rideshare!

If you have to ask if you’re okay to drive, then you already know the answer. Stay off Santa’s naughty list by driving sober, designating a driver, or calling for a rideshare.

Learn more: tntrafficsafety.org/drunk-driving

12/22/2025

Our TN Aces team is helping new moms build confidence and skills to prevent cycles of trauma related to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

Our program offers a space for mothers to share experiences, reduce stigma, and receive support while learning coping strategies and resiliency tools. Through connection and encouragement, they help moms break cycles of adversity and build stronger futures for their children.

While open to any mothers, it's specifically beneficial to pregnant and new mothers who have experienced trauma or have an ACES score higher than 4.

Our team also provides education about Aces, Positive childhood experiences, trauma-informed strategies, and more for caregivers, community-based organizations, and any other group that would benefit.

All services are free and available to moms in East Tennessee.

For more information, reach out to Ashley at aclotfelter@metrodrug.org

12/20/2025

The holidays can be hard for someone in recovery, especially when they may be surrounded by triggers like alcohol.

Make your celebrations more inclusive by focusing more on spending time with people instead of what they are (or are not) drinking.

Be accepting of someone's decision not to drink -- no questions asked -- matters more than you think.

To learn more about how you can support individuals in recovery this holiday season, visit https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2021/12/how-to-support-a-loved-one-in-recovery-during-the-holidays/.

12/19/2025

There are no safe to***co products, ni****ne pouches included.

In Tennessee, the legal age for buying to***co or products containing ni****ne is 21. It's also against the law to buy ni****ne containing products for anyone under 21. This helps protect our youth.

If you want to For help and support to quit ni****ne call or text the TN Quitline
1-800-QUIT-NOW

12/17/2025

Check out all we've been up to at MDC:

🎻 Knoxville Symphony Orchestra concert at the Gateway

🎤 Karaoke sing along at the Gateway's holiday hangout

🎄 MDC's employee holiday party

🏡 House managers academy graduation

🖥️ Metro Drug joined Playbl for a webinar about youth prevention using evidence-based video games

💊 Collaborating with Cedar Recovery to provide resources for overdose prevention

🔆 Mission district medical outreach

12/13/2025

Kids watch us handle stress, anger and joy. So every time we show them a better way to cope, we're building tools they'll have for life.

metrodrug.org/healthybehaviors/

12/12/2025

Check out this story from WBIR Channel 10 about this year's Community Champion Awards!

Metro Drug Coalition honored a group of what it calls community champions.

12/12/2025

Check out this story from WATE 6 On Your Side about this year's Community Champion Awards and the prevention and recovery efforts happening in our community.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Metro Drug Coalition honored ten Community Champions on Thursday, using the event to highlight ongoing prevention efforts and the resources available to families facing ad…

12/11/2025

Join us in congratulating our 2025 Community Coalition Winners!

Susie Silcox - Recovery Services
Makayla Dudley - Outstanding Prevention Educator
Dr. Danielle Darter - Outstanding Healthcare Provider
Vanessa Betancourt - Outstanding Mentor
Kim Hansard - Media Advocacy
Susan Bradford - Mental Health Advocate Award
Evan Reifsnyder - Emerging Leader
Sharena Cathey - Innovations in Substance Misuse Prevention
Rob Patrick - Coalition Member of the Year
Josh Webb - Celebrate Recovery Award

Learn about the winners at metrodrug.org/2025-award-winners/...

12/10/2025

Here's what's been keeping us busy the last few weeks!

⛑️ Knoxville Christmas Parade with our partners at the The Salvation Army of Knoxville. Our Bridge Foundation participants helped the Salvation Army ring the bells.

🎒 YMDC members traveled to Murfreesboro to get trained in advocacy: how to talk to legislators, connect with the media, and create branding strategies.

🚒 Our Regional Overdose Prevention Specialists and Care Coordinators visiting first responders throughout Knox County.

🌿 Connecting with the Lifeline Coordinator for Johnson and Greene County

🎄 Jingle and Mingle toy drive at Cornerstone of Recovery

🌼 Ashlee and Becky with Hamilton Faith-Based Coordinator at the 2nd Annual Prevention and Intervention Conference

🏈 Recovery on the Gridiron watch party for the Vanderbilt game

🍗 UT Medical Center Knoxville hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for our Bridge Foundation participants