Anuvia promotes wellness in our community by providing compassionate treatment and prevention services of the highest quality to impact the disease of addiction.
Created by the Mecklenburg County ABC Board, Anuvia Prevention and Recovery Center is a non-profit organization that has been providing services to the Charlotte community since 1958. Whether you are seeking services for yourself or a loved one, have questions about your child’s behavior, or need training for yourself or your staff, Anuvia can help you. Our services include prevention, intervention, DWI/court, assessment, detoxification, outpatient treatment, and inpatient treatment.
Anuvia is accredited by CARF, a member of the National Council on Alcoholism and an approved provider for Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, Medicaid and most insurance companies. Prevention specialists and treatment counselors at Anuvia are highly trained and credentialed.
What Can I Do?
- Young Person
- Parent
- Teacher
- Person Seeking Recovery
- Community Member
As a young person, you can create an impact in your community against drug and alcohol use. The first step is to make a firm decision that alcohol and drugs are not your “thing”. Be who you are and discover your anti-drug and stick to it. You can become involved in your community and be a leader among your peers in making positive decisions.
- Make a list of adults you can trust and talk to about alcohol and other drugs.
- Choose your friends wisely; hang with friends who make healthy decisions.
- Join a sports team or take up a hobby that you enjoy.
- Get educated on prevention of substance abuse and become a peer educator. Get involved with Students Preventing and Informing on Drugs and Alcohol (SPIDA).
- Become aware of signs and symptoms associated with alcohol and drug use. If you see a friend who is in need of help refer them to a trusted adult.
- Give back to the community by assisting with a cigarette bud cleanup or many other creative activities.
- Assist your school or community with organizing after school activities for youth.
Congratulations, you have taken the most important step in prevention and that is to become an informed parent. The safety of your child is a priority and protecting them from the harms of alcohol and other drugs is crucial. Parenting is not always easy and educating our youth will arm them with the tools necessary for them to make healthier and safer decisions.
- Talk to your children on the facts and dangers of drugs and how to make healthy decisions. Your words and actions matter.
- Ask Questions: Who? What? When? Where? And Why? There are many ways to find out what your child is doing just by asking questions. Ask your child to check in with you regularly.
- Get to know your child’s friends and their families. Create a list of their friends’ phone numbers.
- Walk through your neighborhood to find out where kids your child’s age hang out.
- Create a safe zone list, which are places you have checked out that are safe and provide adult supervision.
- Give your child a clear message: Say no to drugs. Establish rules and consequences appropriate for your family.
- Pledge that you will always be available to give your child a ride if none of his or her friends are sober and able to drive.
- Get to know your child’s teacher and counselors. Join the Parent Teacher Association (PTA).
- Join a coalition that focuses on preventing underage drug and alcohol use.
- Contact Anuvia prevention department to assist with programming for an interested group of parents.
Students in the pre-teen and teen years are at risk for initiating alcohol and substance use. You as a teacher exert significant influence on your students’ attitudes, knowledge and opinions and you have a unique opportunity to positively influence the lives of your students. By becoming aware of substance abuse issues and promoting prevention activities you can help your students learn the complete story about drug use, balancing the misinformation they receive about drug use from their peers, the streets and the media.
- Serve as a positive adult role model for your students and make yourself available for students to talk with you.
- Know the warning signs that may indicate drug use and abuse and learn about the treatment and prevention resources in your area in case you need to make referrals.
- Host school health fairs that provide drug and prevention education or host anti-drug use campaigns in your school.
- Invite substance abuse professionals to deliver presentations or prevention curriculums to your classes.
- Display anti-drug and alcohol use posters throughout your classroom and incorporate prevention games and activities into your lesson plans.
- Celebrate Substance Abuse Awareness Month (October) and Alcohol Awareness Month (April) by having students sign anti-drug and alcohol use pledges.
- Attend trainings and workshops on substance abuse issues.
Drug addiction is a complex but treatable disease. Deciding upon the correct drug rehab for yourself or a loved one is one of the most important decisions you will ever make and if you are seeking treatment then you are already well on your way to a brighter future. Each drug rehab has its own treatment options, staff qualifications, credentials, cost, and effectiveness, so it is important that you are well educated about drug treatment options before selecting a drug rehab program.
- Contact your local behavioral health authority to find treatment or counseling options in your area.
- Attend 12 step meetings or support groups.
- Get involved in recovery month (September) events in your community.
Drug and alcohol use is a present problem in every community. Your decision to become involved as a community member and being aware of substance abuse issues in your community is a very important step in helping to make sure your community is safe, healthy and drug-free.
- Join or form a community coalition dedicated to alcohol or drug related issues.
- Host community health fairs that provide drug prevention and education information.
- Host drug-free community events such as mocktail nights (alcohol free cocktail parties), sober bowls (alcohol free event for Super Bowl) or drug-free carnivals.
- Form extracurricular or recreational clubs and activities for youth in your community.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local paper on an issue related to drug and alcohol use you feel is important.
- Organize community meetings that focus on educating your community about drug issues in your area.
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A Parent in FOCUS
FOCUS taught my child to accept responsibility.
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CIS Site Coordinator
Marcella connected to our young ladies with her enthusiasm, engaging presentation, passion in educating our students about the effects of drugs/alcohol, proper decision making and healthy living.
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A Parent in FOCUS
Good communication and being someone your child can talk to is important.
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A Dove's Nest Counselor
The staff of Dove’s Nest is helping the mom’s with children in our facility implement what they learned. I hope Dove's Nest will continue to partner with Anuvia for a long time to come.
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Tom
FOCUS had a positive impact on my daughter.
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A church intern
A presentation on prescription drug abuse illuminates the problem and the solution.
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Robert
My story starts when I was 13 years old and had my first drink of beer. As I got older, I went to drinking more and more, so when I turned 35, I was drinking day and night.
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Vaughn
Alcohol and pot took me to the darkest depths of my life. I nearly died on my last binge. What once had been my idea of “fun” turned on me and grabbed me by the throat. I knew that the part of me that craved alcohol wanted me dead, and I was terrified.
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Greg
My story begins at the detox on Billingsley Road. While I was there, it was suggested to me that I go to the outpatient treatment program (SACOT) at Anuvia. I thought SACOT was only offered at the Men’s Shelter, so this information helped, but I didn’t go.
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Jeff
I was a lost man with a broken spirit when I arrived at Anuvia. Today, thanks to its wonderful staff, I am blessed with a better life. I am a grateful recovering addict named Jeff W, and I want to share with you a little bit about my recovery.
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Beth
I loved cocaine. And I loved alcohol – probably more than anything else in my life. But in the end, after trying to kill myself with them, I realized that I really didn’t want to die for them.
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Anonymous
After being arrested for possession of heroin, I found myself in Mecklenburg County’s drug court. I started treatment several months after that, and I was eager to learn how and why I became addicted to heroin.
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Jose
The first time I had a shot of rum was 45 years ago, when I was about eight years old. I got it from my grandmother, who was an alcoholic. Looking back, I realize now that my father was an alcoholic, too. In ninth grade, I started with the drugs.
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Anonymous
I was sixteen years old when I experienced my first encounter with heroin. I had never felt anything like it ... but it seemed like just an instant, like just one night turned my life into tragedy and misery.
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Tom
After a month of going to meetings at Anuvia, making friends there, getting a sponsor and CALLING HIM, I proceeded to shut up and sit down, pay attention and I actually learned something.
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Anonymous
Le tengo que dar gracias a mi Poder Superior que me dio la valentía y el poder necesario para ayudarme a luchar día tras día con mi problema de actitudes.
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Pam
I just can't thank you and your program enough for hanging in there with Zan and advising him and us on taking charge of his life and ours. I am such a supporter of your program and especially Rick and Pat. Just thinking of last Christmas -- whew -- not going there again hopefully.
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Anonymous
Anuvia and Drug Court have helped me a whole lot in my recovery and life changes. My team seems to care, and even the judge cares.
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Jan
Anuvia taught me positive coping skills and how to work through my issues, pointing out things I needed to work on and because of that I have the confidence and ability to move forward.
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James
I stayed in a state of relapse until New Years, when I decided to stop fighting myself and Anuvia altogether.
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Anonymous
At first, I was very reluctant and somewhat negative, but the more I opened up, I found that I wanted to change my life and my future. God and my family were the most important things in my life. I started getting involved and understanding the tools that I needed in my life to take control and stay healthy and sober in mind, body and spirit.