In 2017, the Department of Health reported that there were more than 80,000 reported treatment admissions to substance abuse treatment programs in New Jersey.
Most people admitted to treatment in New Jersey are seeking out help on their own. Since there are a lot of options for addiction treatment, residents of the state do not often have to travel too far to get it.
Programs are contracted through independent providers on a countywide basis, and many are funded by the state or federal government. Options for care include detox, prevention services, early intervention, outpatient treatment, residential care, and recovery support programs.
Regardless of your recovery needs, you are sure to find help in New Jersey.
Types of Treatment Options in New Jersey
Substance abuse treatment providers in New Jersey are licensed, monitored, and regulated by the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), which offers a full continuum of care offered by independent providers. Services are provided based on the county where you live, and they include public, private, and nonprofit options.
The following were the primary drugs of abuse reported at the time of admission in 2017:
- Heroin: 45 percent of treatment admissions
- Alcohol: 27 percent of treatment admissions
- Marijuana: 13 percent of treatment admissions
- Other opioids: 7 percent of treatment admissions
- Cocaine: 5 percent of treatment admissions
- Other drugs: 4 percent of treatment admissions
Public providers accept residents regardless of their ability to pay or their lack of insurance coverage. Many of these providers are funded by state and/or federal funds. In addition to contracts, a quarter of the funding for addiction treatment in New Jersey is offered through a fee-for-service (FFS) network.
Nonprofit providers receive funding from a variety of sources. They often provide community-based options and run programs like prevention campaigns and outreach for locals.
Private addiction treatment services fill the gaps that are often left by public programs that have long waiting lists and strict eligibility requirements. Private programs generally provide more flexibility and amenities than public programs are able to.
For help with addiction in the Garden State, you can call ReachNJ. This 2-1-1 service offers information and referrals to local treatment programs.
DMHAS also offers a county-specific addiction treatment provider directory to help you find a licensed treatment provider near you.
In New Jersey, DMHAS reports that addiction treatment is centered around four distinct phases.
Typical Phases of Treatment
Pre-Treatment
If you call the IME Addictions Access Center (a hotline available 24 hours a day, seven days a week), you will be offered immediate assistance. Pre-treatment recovery support can provide a pre-treatment assessment, case management, care coordination, motivational counseling, and potentially access to a recovery mentor who can offer a bridge to treatment services, motivational support, and outreach.
Inpatient
This form of treatment is provided in six levels of care including:
- Sub-acute detox. This offers management of withdrawal symptoms in a residential setting.
- Sub-acute medical detox. This involves the use of medications to assist with detox in a residential setting.
- Short-term residential treatment. Clients remain on site for up to 30 days, receiving around-the-clock care.
- Long-term residential treatment. This is an inpatient program lasting longer than 30 days, instilling healthy habits and allowing time to heal in a highly structured environment.
- Halfway house and sober living arrangements. These homes provide housing separate from a treatment center. They offer a supportive space with others who are also focused on sobriety and recovery.
- Residential-assisted partial care. Clients spend a great deal of time in a residential treatment setting while transitioning into life outside of the facility.
Outpatient
Outpatient services in New Jersey are offered in six different levels of care. These are:
- Early intervention. This includes case management, care coordination, and referral services to provide treatment services as soon as possible.
- Traditional outpatient. Clients attend counseling, therapy, and sessions based on their schedule. They will live at home while in treatment.
- Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs). With an IOP, clients receive the same highly structured level of care as a residential program, with the difference being that these programs are generally for a few hours a day a few times a week instead of 24/7.
- Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) or day treatment. In a PHP, clients attend treatment programs for several hours a day every day during the week. It is an in-between treatment option, bridging the gap from full residential treatment and traditional outpatient treatment.
- Outpatient (or ambulatory) detox. Clients receive care and instructions on how to manage withdrawal and cravings while living at home.
- Opioid maintenance therapy or medication-assisted treatment (MAT). This is a form of opioid addiction treatment that uses medications to balance brain chemistry and minimize relapse. Counseling and therapy are part of the program.
Post Recovery
Treatment continues beyond discharge from an outpatient or inpatient program, and it includes some level of recovery support. This can range from regular check-ins to sober living arrangements and support groups.
Peer and 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) provide ongoing support and mentorship into recovery.
In New Jersey, support group options include the following:
- Northern New Jersey Alcoholics Anonymous (NNJAA)
- Central Jersey Intergroup (CJI) Alcoholics Anonymous chapter
- South Jersey Intergroup Association (AASJ) Alcoholics Anonymous information
- Southern New Jersey AA General Service (SJ Area 45)
- NA in New Jersey (NANJ)
Addiction Treatment Costs in New Jersey
Costs for addiction treatment can depend on a lot of factors, such as the level of care you need, the type of program you are looking at, and your insurance and financial situation. Residential treatment will cost more than outpatient services, for example.
Many programs accept private insurance as well as Medicaid or Medicare. Some facilities use a sliding scale to allow you to pay what you are able based on your income and regular expenses.
In the state of New Jersey, mental health and addiction treatment services must be covered through Medicaid the same as other medical and surgical benefits are, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) publishes. This is because of parity laws that ensure equality for treatment.
Medicaid is available for New Jersey residents and U.S. citizens who have limited resources and low incomes.
If you are not eligible for Medicaid, but you do not have affordable health insurance options open to you, you may qualify for the publicly funded insurance program NJ FamilyCare. If you have benefits through NJ FamilyCare, you can use them to pay for addiction treatment.
NJ FamilyCare offers free or low-cost health insurance to residents in need. To use your benefits for addiction treatment, you will need to use an in-network provider and follow all the outlined requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
With an inpatient program, you will stay at a treatment facility for the duration of your program. With outpatient care, you will attend treatment programming at specific times but continue to live at home or in a sober living home.
Both programs can offer a range of treatment options and services, including detox, group and individual therapy, relapse prevention programs, holistic treatments, and support programs.
If you have a good support system and stable home environment, outpatient care can be a great option.
Yes. People can and do fight back against addiction every day. Many people do that work in outpatient treatment programs. The lessons you learn help you to understand what it takes to stay sober for the rest of your life.
You’ll need to practice your sobriety skills, and relapse isn’t uncommon as you learn. But with perseverance and support, you can get better.
An inpatient treatment program offers continuous care in a highly structured, stable environment. If you have a stressful home life, suffer from a co-occurring mental health disorder, or struggle with significant physical and/or psychological drug dependence, inpatient treatment may be the optimal choice.
Traditional outpatient services are generally going to cost less than full inpatient treatment programs. Regardless of the program cost, addiction treatment often pays for itself in the long run. Addiction treatment has a high return-on-investment rate when taking into account the money saved on health care, criminal justice, and lost workplace production.
Footprints to Recovery in New Jersey
A national addiction treatment center with programs in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Arizona, Colorado, and New Jersey, Footprints to Recovery features a step-down treatment approach.
In New Jersey, Footprints to Recovery offers both a partial care program that runs Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. as well as both a day IOP (available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) and an evening IOP (available Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.).
Footprints to Recovery in New Jersey has an advanced practice nurse (APN) on site as well as trauma specialist who runs a complex trauma group. This group can help those who have experienced trauma through guided meditations and specific skills trainings. Clients are able to see the trauma specialist up to two times per week on their own as well.
In New Jersey, Footprints to Recovery can offer you the following services:
- Gender-specific wellness groups
- Psychological services
- Skills training
- Diet and nutrition services
- Spiritual support
- Expressive groups, including movement, art, and music
- Experiential therapy
- EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), which is a specialized trauma-based therapy
- Seeking Safety (a treatment approach specifically designed to help those struggling with both addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder)
- Family education and support
- Ecotherapy, which includes building a garden
- MAT and the administration of Vivitrol/naltrexone on site
- Anger management
- First responders track (specific programming for police, firemen, and EMTs)
Footprints to Recovery in New Jersey places a lot of emphasis on family. We offer a family day every Saturday where clients and families can enjoy a potluck lunch, attend family sessions, and participate in educational sessions on substance abuse and addiction.
There is also an orientation program Saturday mornings to help you get acclimated to the treatment program as a new client during your first week.
Getting Help for Addiction in New Jersey
In New Jersey, addiction treatment is offered through many different formats and as a full continuum of care that continues after discharge and into ongoing recovery. Community-based programs focus on prevention, treatment, and recovery support to ensure that all New Jersey residents feel supported.
Footprints to Recovery strives to provide customized, individual, and evidence-based treatment specific for your specific needs. With both day and evening options, we have a program that is right for you and your schedule.
Treatment services emphasize community, helping to build strong, lasting, and healthy peer connections that can continue beyond the program. We support clients from enrollment, through treatment, and into recovery through a transitional, step-down approach that is tailored to each person specifically.
Call us today. We can help you verify your insurance coverage and start the admissions process. Our compassionate staff members can guide you through the enrollment process and get you started right away.
Questions about treatment options?
Our admissions team is available 24/7 to listen to your story and help you get started with the next steps.
