Patrick Balsley

About Patrick

Patrick’s story is one of grace. He was born in Charlotte in 1982, and grew up in both Myers Park and Quail Hollow while attending Charlotte Country Day School from Kindergarten through 12th grade. When Patrick was in middle school, he started experimenting with alcohol, and by the time he started 9th grade, he had developed a dependence to prescription painkillers. Patrick’s substance use progressed through high school but unfortunately was overlooked by his social activity, athletic achievements, and lack of insight into the process of addiction.

After he graduated from Country Day in 2000, Patrick left Charlotte to attend North Carolina State University. While there, Patrick’s substance use took precedence to academics, and he moved back to Charlotte after failing out of school half-way through his junior year.

Patrick’s ability to hold a job or function as an adult in society was rapidly declining. His substance use was at an all-time high, and his family decided to stage an intervention. Patrick ended up in a 28-day hospital-based program in Monroe, NC, where they introduced him to the recovery process for the first time. He was internally motivated, overly compliant, and believed he was ready to stop using substances forever. Within two weeks of leaving treatment, he was using again. Patrick had underestimated his addiction and was unprepared for the thoughts, feelings, and stressors associated with early recovery.

Patrick used substances around the clock for the next two years. In 2011, through a series of unforeseen events, Patrick found himself in a 90-day dual-diagnosis residential treatment program in Delray Beach, FL. He weighed 125 pounds, was addicted to heroin, cocaine and alcohol, and was in a drug-induced psychosis. After receiving proper treatment, immersing himself in the recovery community, and gratefully accepting his family’s unwavering support, Patrick found sustained recovery.

When Patrick experienced remission, he felt a deep responsibility to share what he had found. He started working in addiction treatment in 2012 and returned to school to study counseling.

After working in several different supportive and clinical roles, Patrick accepted a primary counselor position in a small outpatient program in FL. Over the next four years, Patrick worked as a counselor in every level of care before founding Sana in 2017.

Through both his professional leadership and personal recovery journey, Patrick has aligned himself with mission-driven organizations advancing behavioral health, youth development, and recovery advocacy across North Carolina.

He currently serves on the Behavioral Health Committee at Atrium Health Foundation and on the Advisory Board of For Students, a nonprofit equipping schools to facilitate essential conversations around student mental health.

Patrick previously served as Chairman of the Board of Emerald School of Excellence — the Carolinas’ first Recovery High School — where he helped guide strategic growth and mission development during a formative season of expansion. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Pivot Point WNC, an Asheville-based nonprofit offering therapeutic wilderness experiences for at-risk youth.