Miss Tennessee Caty Davis Attacks Addiction

Miss Tennessee Caty Davis takes the scourge of addiction personally.

“I grew up in a family plagued by addiction. I have 12 family members who have or are still struggling with addiction. Unfortunately, I lost my father, my brother, and grandfather to addiction, all to this brain disease that alters brain chemistry.”

Speaking recently at the Northwest Knox Business and Professionals Association meeting, the Karns High graduate said her platform is about attacking addiction — prevention, recovery, and restoring families.

“When I speak at schools I always touch on addiction and I touch on the four C’s. I didn’t cause it, I can’t cure it, but I can celebrate myself, and make good choices. That applies to anything in their life whether it’s addiction or a family argument.

“Children do not have a large amount of control, but they have control to make good choices, so we talk about respect. They should respect their bodies and their future, their teachers, and the people around them.”

As Miss Tennessee, Davis serves as Gov. Bill Haslam’s spokesperson for Character Education and speaks at three to five schools a day. She also promotes the “Count it, Lock it, Drop it” campaign.

“It’s about counting your medication, locking them up and disposing of them properly. Seventy percent of opioid misusers got their start out of the family or a friend’s medicine cabinet. The Super Bowl is coming up and there will be lots of parties; lock up your medication. Count them before and after the party or when you have visitors.”

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