Despite its proximity to the big city temptations of New York, New Jersey consistently ranks among the lowest states for drug and alcohol dependency across all age groups. This is offset by the fact that the most popular drugs in New Jersey are heroin, cocaine, and meth, closely followed by prescription opiates. These “hard” drugs, along with marijuana, present a real threat to New Jersey residents of all ages for their addictive qualities and difficulty in treatment. Any New Jersey resident who suspects a substance abuse problem of any type should seek immediate treatment through a qualified drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation center. The state is fortunate in having a high number of such treatment facilities located within its borders.

There are 351 New Jersey drug and alcohol treatment centers, and they are reporting interesting trends in admissions. While alcohol admissions are dropping, drug-only admissions nearly doubled between 1992 and 2006, from 26% of all admissions to 51%. This is a clear indicator of the growing problem of drugs smuggled across New Jersey’s borders. Since 2006, New Jersey drug enforcement agencies and first responders have noted an alarming upswing in fatal and non-fatal overdoses of fentanyl, which is prescribed for pain relief but is increasingly manufactured in illegal drug labs. Nationwide, drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities report a general rise in admissions for opiates other than heroin.

What this means for New Jersey families is that, despite the statistically lower rates of drug and alcohol dependency, the state is not at all immune. Almost half of all New Jersey high school seniors had tried marijuana at least once as of 2005; over 7% of 9^th graders had tried it before the age of 13. A stint in a drug or alcohol rehab facility is no longer as distant a possibility as most New Jersey parents would probably like to believe. If faced with the necessity to seek treatment for substance abuse, however, they do have many options.

Of the 351 New Jersey drug and alcohol treatment facilities operating in the state as of 2006, 59% are private non-profit and 121 are private for-profit. The rest are operated by various state, federal, or local agencies. The services offered vary. An unusually high number of facilities provide residential care (67), and 57 rehab centers were licensed to treat opiate addiction. The majority of all facilities offer some sort of outpatient treatment, but not all programs are identical in nature. Many New Jersey rehab centers specialize in either adult or youth programs. Some offer detoxification. Others do not. Over half receive public funding of some sort, and staffing levels will vary, as will the number of patients being treated. In 2006, these 351 rehabilitation centers treated almost 55,000 people.

Per the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, New Jersey has the highest concentration of chemical and pharmaceutical firms in the United States. This contributes both to diversion of chemicals required for illegal drug manufacture as well as to increasing quantities of prescription drugs being diverted to non-medical use. The trends witnessed by New Jersey drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities will likely continue, if not worsen. Families throughout New Jersey should take note.