To request an overdose prevention toolkit or treatment / peer support, please call (865) 679-4506 or (865) 507-0353
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States.
Cigarettes cause more than 480,000 premature deaths in the United States each year—from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke. This represents about 1,300 deaths every day. An additional 16 million people suffer from a serious illness caused by smoking.
Keep Sevier County Clean and Avoid Harmful Substances
Last year, over 70,000 Americans fatally overdosed on illegally made Fentanyl.
Fentanyl is very cheap and extremely addictive. Drug dealers are dangerously mixing illicitly manufactured fentanyl with, and disguising it as, other common drugs like Oxy, Percocet and Xanax to increase profits. It has also been found in party drugs like cocaine and MDMA. This production process is not regulated and does not undergo any kind of quality control. Users have no way of knowing what they are getting in these street drugs, putting them at significant risk of poisoning and overdose – and as little as two milligrams of fentanyl (two grains of sand) can kill a person.
Opioid Overdose Training
Sevier County C.A.R.E.S and the Office of Alcohol and Drug Programs provide overdose prevention training with Narcan distribution in the following counties. Blount, Cocke, Hamblen, Jefferson, Loudon, Monroe, and Sevier County. Training is conducted by our Regional Overdose Prevention Specialist. If you are a resident, group, agency, or organization located in one of these counties and are interested in online overdose prevention training, please contact us today.
The Tennessee REDLINE is the 24/7/365 resource for substance misuse treatment referrals. Anyone can call or text 800-889-9789 for confidential referrals.
Our Mission
The mission of Sevier County C.A.R.E.S (Coalition for Addiction Recovery & Education Service) is to prevent and reduce substance misuse and coordinate recovery efforts within Sevier County
Sevier County C.A.R.E.S Vision Statement
We envision Sevier County to be free of substance abuse and related crimes. To succeed, we will work with our entire community, including local government, judicial services and law enforcement through promoting the awareness of harmful risks related to substance and prescription drug abuse.
What Is Addiction?
Addiction, clinically referred to as a substance use disorder is a complex disease of the brain and body that involves compulsive use of one or more substances despite serious health and social consequences. Addiction disrupts regions of the brain that are responsible for reward, motivation, learning, judgment, and memory.
The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) defines addiction as a chronic disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking, continued use despite harmful consequences, and can result in long-lasting changes in the brain. It’s more complicated than other diseases, as it’s considered both a complex brain disorder and a mental illness.