Drug addiction is a chronic disease that can cause serious consequences in multiple areas of your life, including your mental and physical health. Addiction is also a progressive disease; it may not go away on its own, and it’s likely to get worse if you ignore it. Over the past several years, addiction seems to be getting worse. More people are dealing with substance use disorders and experiencing fatal overdoses each year.
The increase in drug addiction has affected people all over the country. But northeastern cities like New Brunswick, New Jersey, have seen the significant public health consequences of drug misuse. However, even though there is no cure for addiction, it can be treated through drug rehab and detoxification.
If you’re contending with a substance use disorder, learn more about drug treatment in the New Brunswick area.
Drug Addiction in New Brunswick
Drug addiction and overdose have been significant problems for many years, especially in light of the recent opioid crisis. Over the last decade, addiction rates have been steadily increasing, and the rates of overdose deaths have risen along with it. In 2020, there was a record number of overdose deaths that exceeded 100,000, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Opioids represent the most significant threat in the overdose crisis, and more than 70,000 of the 100,000 overdose deaths involved opioids. Many of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which is an opioid potent enough to kill the average person with a dose the same weight as a snowflake.
Fentanyl, and other powerful synthetic opioids, are mixed into other substances commonly used as recreational drugs like heroin. People using these substances often don’t know they are taking a potent synthetic opioid. Fentanyl has also been mixed into non-opioid substances like cocaine.
Polydrug use is another factor in the addiction and overdose crisis in the United States and New Brunswick. Polydrug use is using two or more substances at the same time. Drugs are often mixed with alcohol, which can be dangerous. Benzodiazepines are also commonly mixed with opioids, alcohol, and stimulants. Benzodiazepines are a group of prescription depressant drugs commonly used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders. Common recreational drugs continue to be a problem all over the U.S., including cocaine, heroin, meth, amphetamines, and prescription opioids.
The opioid crisis has had a deep impact all over the country, but it had a particular effect on the northeastern United States, including New Jersey. In and around New Brunswick in Middlesex County, heroin was the majority drug of choice for people seeking substance abuse treatment, making up 40% of treatment admissions. Alcohol was the next most common cause of substance use disorders at 35%.
Drug Rehab & Detox in New Brunswick
Addiction treatment is a complex process designed to treat your individual needs in drug rehab. Since addiction can be rooted in multiple areas of your life, treatment must be multifaceted. Your treatment plan should address physical, psychological, and social problems that may be contributing factors of addiction or a consequence of your substance use disorder.
When you enter treatment, one of the first things you do after or during the intake and assessment process is make a personalized treatment plan. If you have medical needs, your doctor will create a treatment plan to address your physical health, but you will also need to sit down with your therapist to create a personalized plan to address your substance use disorder. Each week, you will meet with your therapist to discuss your plan and how it’s going. Your plan will likely include individual and group therapy sessions, along with cognitive behavioral therapy or other therapeutic options.
If you have severe medical or psychological needs, you may start in a high level of care that involves inpatient treatment and medical care. However, as you progress in treatment, you will move to lower levels of care in which you are allowed to live at home. Outpatient levels of care are often important because they offer support as you encounter challenges to your sobriety in your everyday life. Here’s a breakdown of the outpatient levels of care that are offered at Summit Behavioral Health.
Partial Care
Partial care is a high level of outpatient care that involves 20 hours of services per week or more. This level of care is ideal for people who don’t need inpatient treatment and are able to live independently without significantly threatening their safety or sobriety. This may include people who have already gone through inpatient services like medical detoxification. It may also include those who need addiction treatment services but don’t have medical or psychological problems that require 24-hour care. Through partial care, you’ll work through your treatment plan and therapies. As you make progress, you may move on to the next level of care for your needs.
Outpatient Treatment
Outpatient treatment also involves treatment services that you attend during the week while you live independently. Outpatient treatment requires less time spent in treatment each week than partial care. This step is an important one for many people who have gone through higher levels of care. A low level of care continues to offer you support as you are able to take on more responsibilities at home, pursuing goals in your work, family, and hobbies. But as you encounter challenges, you’ll still have the support of your therapies to fall back on.
Aftercare
Aftercare services are available to those who have gone through treatment. Aftercare begins before you leave treatment by creating an aftercare plan. This may include goals for life after treatment, job goals, housing, and other important elements of a life in recovery. Aftercare services can also help connect you to community-based services like 12-step programs. Aftercare will also involve check-ins and follow-ups to see how you are doing in your recovery.
Drug Detox & Rehab in New Brunswick FAQs
As you’re wading into your addiction treatment options, you may have several questions that you need to have addressed. There are many common questions about treatment cost, duration, and travel. Here are answers to a few of those important questions.
How Long Is Rehab?
Different levels of care may require different time commitments. Plus, the length of treatment is like other aspects of drug rehab in that it’s different from person to person. Many people go into rehab hoping to get it over with quickly. However, rushing through addiction treatment may result in ineffective results. Research reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has shown that effective treatment requires at least 90 days in rehab. But that doesn’t mean 90 days in one level of care. As you progress from high to low levels of care, you may spend a few days to several weeks in each level of care. Ultimately, your progression will depend on your needs.
Do I Have to Travel?
If you’d like to attend treatment services at Summit Behavioral Health, you’ll have to travel, whether it’s down the block or across the country. Treatment services are in-person and require meetings with a therapist and groups. If you live near Summit Behavioral Health, going through an outpatient program will mean you won’t have to live away from home. Travel can be beneficial to some people who need a fresh start, but it can be a challenge to others. If you don’t live near the facility and you can’t travel, there may be some effective treatment options in your area.
How Much Does Drug Rehab Cost?
The cost of rehab can be daunting for many people. Like other forms of long-term healthcare, drug rehab can be expensive, costing several thousand dollars. However, there are several ways to make addiction treatment more affordable. Insurance is the best way to pay for treatment. Most insurance companies offer plans that include mental and behavioral health coverage. There are also private pay and financing options at many addiction treatment centers. If you have a substance use disorder, ignoring it can cost you financially. Addiction tends to limit your ability to maintain employment, and it can lead to financial instability.
What Insurance Carriers Does Summit Behavioral Health Take?
Summit Behavioral Health accepts coverage from most private health insurance plans, and we work as an in-network provider with several insurance companies. An in-network provider is a treatment center that already has a relationship with an insurance company. It usually means it has negotiated a discount for treatment services.
It’s often easier to get coverage from your insurance provider if you go with an in-network option, but you don’t always have to choose one of these options to get coverage. If you’d like to go through treatment at Summit Behavioral Health, but your insurance company isn’t in-network, you may still receive coverage. Call any time to learn more about insurance eligibility.