For individuals struggling with substance use and co-occurring mental health concerns, everyday recovery requires more than good intentions. It requires structure, community, and expert support. Anuvia’s Substance Abuse Comprehensive Outpatient Treatment (SACOT) program provides exactly that: a daily, intensive environment where clients can address the root causes of addiction, develop coping skills, and rebuild their lives while maintaining connections to family and community.
SACOT is North Carolina’s specific program for comprehensive outpatient treatment, designed as a bridge between residential programs and standard outpatient care. It requires a minimum of 20 hours per week across five days.
Substance Abuse Comprehensive Outpatient Treatment (SACOT) provides a daily structured environment of support and healing to manage substance use and mental health concerns in a group setting.
The program empowers people to:
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Using the Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment model, SACOT recognizes that substance use and mental illness often go hand-in-hand and that treating both together leads to better outcomes. Many clients enter treatment believing they have “just” a substance use problem, only to discover that untreated depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, or trauma have been fueling their addiction. SACOT’s integrated approach ensures that both issues are identified and addressed simultaneously.
SACOT is ideal for adults 18 and older who are experiencing:
SACOT is a daytime, outpatient program. It is not appropriate for those who require 24/7 medical monitoring or detoxification services (available at our inpatient detox program), overnight supervision due to severe safety concerns or acute psychiatric crisis (available at our residential program), or adolescent-specific treatment services.
SACOT clients participate Monday through Friday, at a minimum of 4 hours daily. The day includes a structured mix of activities: morning check-in and reflection on the day’s topic, psychoeducational lessons using the Matrix model that cover topics like identifying triggers, coping strategies, and healthy decision-making, group processing and peer feedback, AA/NA readings and reflection, music therapy or motivational activities, lunch, and afternoon checkout focused on aftercare and evening planning.
Throughout the day, individual sessions are available as needed. Clients can request to speak with a counselor at any point if they’re experiencing a craving, crisis, or urgent need. All facilitation uses motivational interviewing and evidence-based counseling techniques.
Read the full breakdown: For a detailed hour-by-hour walkthrough of what happens during SACOT, see our post “A Day in SACOT: What to Expect During Your First Week.”
Treatment length is individualized. Clients and their clinical care team collaboratively determine the right duration. The typical range is 1 to 4 months, though some clients benefit from extended participation. As clients progress, they develop the skills, stability, and confidence to step down to lower levels of care.
| Program | Schedule | Focus |
| SACOT Intensive Outpatient (SACOT-IOP) | 3 days/week, 3 hours/day | Continued group therapy, relapse prevention |
| Resilience & Recovery | 2 days/week, 2.5 hours/day | Skill-building and recovery maintenance |
| Virtual/Telehealth Program | Flexible scheduling | Same treatment, delivered online |
| Standard Outpatient | 1 day/week | Ongoing support and medication management |
Staff work with each client to find the best fit. A single parent might transition to the 2-day Resilience & Recovery program instead of 3-day IOP. Others may opt for the virtual program to maintain employment or education.
Every Wednesday, SACOT hosts family day, a time when loved ones join the group to learn about recovery, support their family member, and heal together. Family members attend group sessions, participate in education about substance use and mental health, and connect with other families.
Research shows that family participation significantly improves outcomes. Many families report that family day is a turning point. One mother who initially refused to let her daughter move back home came to family day, reconnected with her daughter, and today, nearly two years later, they remain close with her daughter maintaining her recovery.
SACOT uses multiple evidence-based modalities:
Motivational Interviewing - Helping clients find their own internal motivation for change, rather than relying on external pressure
Matrix Model - Psychoeducational, cognitive-behavioral approach addressing the neurobiology of addiction
12-Step Integration - Daily AA/NA readings and peer support to strengthen connection to recovery community
Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment (IDDT) - Simultaneous treatment of substance use and mental health conditions with the same clinical team
Many clients arrive in SACOT with undiagnosed or untreated mental health conditions. Our on-site clinic team includes psychiatric evaluation to identify and diagnose co-occurring disorders, medication management from our medical team to address depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, or trauma, and therapy coordination so psychiatric care and group therapy work together.
One recent client believed he had only a cocaine and alcohol problem. During his first month in SACOT, he was evaluated and diagnosed with an underlying mental health disorder he didn’t know existed. Once he started appropriate medication under medical supervision, his cravings decreased, his relationships began to heal, and his self-esteem returned. He told staff: “I thought I had figured myself out. Turns out I was missing the whole picture.“
While group therapy is the heart of SACOT, individual therapy is available as needed. Clients can request to speak with a counselor at any point during the day if they’re experiencing a crisis, intense craving, or breakthrough insight.
“Watching clients grow gradually is what motivates me. They gain confidence and self-esteem back, day by day, getting better each day. That’s what keeps me coming back.”
— John Scott, SACOT Counselor
Most clients are referred through an assessment at Anuvia. We offer walk-in assessments Monday through Friday. Based on the assessment, our clinical team determines the appropriate level of care. Some clients step down from detox or residential programs.
SACOT is ideal if you have a serious substance use disorder, especially with co-occurring mental health concerns. If you’ve tried standard outpatient programs and struggled, SACOT’s structure and intensity may be the right fit. Our assessment team can help determine if it’s a good match.
Yes. Many SACOT clients experience housing instability. We provide bus passes for transportation, meals during each session, and case management support to connect you with housing resources. We don’t turn anyone away due to financial or housing barriers.
Yes. Clients can be referred to our on-site clinic for psychiatric evaluation and medication management. If you need medications for depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, or substance use, we coordinate that as part of your overall treatment plan.
Many clients do. SACOT runs approximately 9 AM to 1:15 PM Monday through Friday, which allows time for part-time or evening work. Our case managers can help navigate conversations with employers or connect you with job training and employment support.
We accept most major insurance plans, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, United Healthcare, Medicaid, and managed care organizations like Trillium and VIA. If you’re uninsured, we have options including sliding scale fees, state insurance assistance, and financial hardship consideration. No one is turned away due to inability to pay.
Schedule an Assessment
Questions?
Call us at 704-376-7447 or reach us online.
Recovery is possible. Thousands of people have walked through the doors of SACOT broken, confused, and hopeless and walked out with clarity, skills, community, and vision of the life they want. You don’t have to do this alone.
