Drug & Alcohol Addiction Treatment in New Jersey

New Jersey is known for its history, coastal towns, and natural landscapes, which means the state’s rehab centers can offer a variety of settings and environments for people beginning or continuing their recovery journey. Services available in New Jersey include detox programs, outpatient treatment programs, and inpatient rehab.

People can access expert professional support within these services, including a range of individual and group therapies, medications, and holistic approaches. Many rehabs offer a variety of recreational activities to support treatment, including outdoor activities, yoga, and creative activities.

According to the CDC and other surveys, the most common substances involved in overdoses or disorders in the past few years are alcohol and opioids. In 2021, the CDC reports that New Jersey lost 3,052 citizens to opioid-related deaths while the State of New Jersey reported 798 citizens died from alcohol-related causes. The most recent data available from the State of New Jersey Department of Human Services reported over 31,000 citizens sought treatment for alcohol abuse and almost 40,000 sought treatment for opioid addiction in 2021. Opiates are highly addictive. Because the high is unlike any naturally occurring flood of dopamine or endorphins, the only way a person can reexperience it is by using it again, causing a dependence on the drug and experimentation with even higher doses over time. Alcoholism is a common but potentially severe substance use disorder that affects millions of Americans. What starts as a casual drink to relieve stress can quickly turn into habitual or binge drinking and progress into dependence on the substance. ^[5]

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Medical advisor

Heather Brown

LCSW, LCADC, CCS

New Jersey has a population of 9,500,851 people. The most recent data from the 2023-2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that 1,198,000 people over the age of 12 had abused illegal substances in the past month, around 12.61% of the population. 1,149,000 reported marijuana use in the past month and 1,609,000 in the past year.

The report also found that 103,000 New Jersey residents had abused cocaine in the past year, 38,000 had abused meth, and 166,000 had abused prescription pain medication. 19,000 people over the age of 18 reported using heroin in the last year. Those reporting opioid misuse including heroin, painkillers, and fentanyl in New Jersey totaled 170,000 people.

New Jersey’s substance use disorder rate is lower than the national and Northeast averages. However, some drugs are becoming increasingly prevalent.^[1]

Substance misuse

The rate of illicit drug use among the 12-17 age group stands at 6.76%, below the national average of 7.09% and slightly lower than the Northeast region’s rate of 7.94%. For those over 18, New Jersey’s drug use rate is 13.69%, below both the national average of 15.03% and the Northeast’s rate of 16.70%.^[1]

Marijuana misuse

Marijuana use among the 12-17 age range stands at 8.13%, again below the national average of 10.47% and the Northeast average of 10.70%. For adults over 18, the usage rate in New Jersey is 17.16%, while the national rate is 19.59% and the Northeast’s is 21.11%.^[1]

28.12% of the 12-17 age group in New Jersey perceive a risk of smoking marijuana once a month, higher than the Northeast average of 22.58% and closer to the national perception of 23.26%. In the 18+ category, 24.78% in New Jersey perceive a great risk of marijuana use, compared to 19.82% in the Northeast and 21.42% nationally.^[1]

Cocaine misuse

Cocaine use for the 12-17 age group is not listed in New Jersey. For the 18+ population, the rate stands at 1.69%, lower than the national average of 1.86% and the Northeast’s rate of 2.22%.^[1]

Regarding the perception of great risk from using cocaine once a month, 49.69% of the 12-17-year-olds in New Jersey perceive great danger, slightly lower than the national perception of 50.73% and higher than the Northeast’s 48.91%. For the 18+ group, 68.33% in New Jersey perceive great risk, slightly higher than the national rate of 67.78% and the Northeast’s rate of 65.18%.^[1]

Heroin misuse

The heroin misuse data shows a use rate of 0.16% for the 12-17 age interval, below the Northeast region’s rate of 0.22% and the national average of 0.20%. Individuals aged 18 and over have a heroin misuse rate of 0.80%, considerably higher than the national average and the Northeast’s 0.57% rate.

60.96% of the 12-17-year-olds in New Jersey perceive great risk from trying heroin, compared to the national perception of 58.72% and the Northeast’s 58.71%. In the 18+ category, 86.24% perceive a great risk, compared with 84.47% nationally and 84.26% in the Northeast.^[1]

Methamphetamine misuse

Methamphetamine misuse in New Jersey stands at 0.10% in the 12-17 age range, which is consistent with the Northeast region’s rate of 0.10% and below the national average of 0.14%. Adults over 18 have a 0.88% use rate, higher than the national average of 0.99% and the Northeast’s rate of 0.69%.^[1]

Prescription meds and opioid misuse

The misuse of prescription pain relievers among people 12-17 is at 2.06%, whereas the national average is 1.91% and the Northeast’s is 2.12%. The 18+ age group has a 3.31% consumption rate, close to the national average of 3.24% and the Northeast average of 3.33%.^[1]

Teenagers in the 12-17 category have an opioid misuse rate of 2.08%, higher than the national average of 1.91% but below the Northeast average of 2.12%. Adults over 18 stand at 3.30% for opioid misuse, below the national average of 3.44% and the Northeast average of 3.48%.^[1]

In New Jersey, individual rehab treatment costs, on average, $56,570 for residential care and $1,701 for outpatient services. New Jersey’s residential treatment costs are higher than the national average of $43,446 before inflation adjustments.^[2]

However, the average cost for outpatient rehab in New Jersey is much lower than the national average of $7,219. The total cost of detoxification in the US is $141,001 per individual after inflation adjustments.^[2]

These rates reflect rehab costs without insurance coverage. Most health insurance providers will cover the cost of addiction treatment as part of their plans, and it is rare for those attending rehab to pay fees out-of-pocket.^[2]

The NSDUH report also recorded the total amount of substance abuse disorders in New Jersey and those who currently require treatment. The report found that 1,178,000 were recorded as having a substance use disorder (SUD) and 730,000 had an alcohol use disorder. 100,000 people were recorded as having an opioid use disorder including those with painkiller, heroin, and other opioid-based drug use disorders.

The NSDUH report also measures the gap between the people who need substance use treatment and those who actually receive it. It found that 1,288,000 people in New Jersey were classified as needing substance use treatment in the past year, 210,000 received substance use treatment, and 1,108,000 did not receive the treatment they were classified as needing.

The New Jersey Government has a Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) that oversees community-based behavioral health services for New Jersey residents.

The DMHAS has also provided an online Addiction Services Treatment directory, publications, real-time data, and information on Opioid treatment, among other helpful resources for people dealing with addiction.

This division monitors substance abuse and Treatment services offered by different agencies in the state of New Jersey aimed at helping individuals suffering from alcohol or drug addiction.

The New Jersey Department of Health and law enforcement have created several campaigns such as the Op to Help and Hope Grant Program to raise awareness of the dangers of alcohol and substance addiction and are reaching out to residents in areas of the state where drug use is high to provide resources for safety and treatment to those in need. ^[5]

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Medical advisor

Heather Brown

LCSW, LCADC, CCS