Little New Jersey has a big problem. Stuck between the major population centers of Pennsylvania and New York, the state is a magnet for drug traffickers. It is one of a diminishing list of states where heroin is still a huge problem, along with cocaine, meth, and a rapidly growing list of prescription drugs like Xanax, Oxycontin, Ambien, and Hydrocodone. The beaches of New Jersey play host to parties where club drugs and young people mix in lethal combination. Drug abuse is no longer just an inner-city problem, so families should educate themselves on identifying the signs of drug abuse before they find themselves trying to find a good drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in New Jersey or somewhere else.

Drug offenders in New Jersey can expect stiff penalties even for low-level offenses, so it is wise to seek treatment before compounding a drug addiction with legal trouble. The network of drug and alcohol rehabilitation and treatment centers in New Jersey encompasses most larger communities and many smaller towns, however, so help is widely available.

Types of services vary. When seeking a rehab center in New Jersey, you will find both public and private facilities offering different methods and various levels of service. Look for a treatment center with experience in your particular problem, one that does not promise a one-size-fits-all approach to drug addiction or alcohol abuse. Also, make sure the facility you choose offers a comprehensive approach, as there are several important elements of successful treatment programs to consider.

Nearly any recovery begins with detoxification, managing the process of withdrawal and its serious side effects. This often requires inpatient care. Continuity in care is important, so if a detox center must outsource this to the local hospital, keep looking for a rehab facility that can manage this in-house.

Counseling is the second crucial element of recovery. A drug or alcohol treatment program that does not offer long-term counseling in addition to detox is doomed to failure. Physical addiction and emotional dependency go hand-in-hand, and must both be addressed.

Behavior modification to identify and learn to ignore the things that formerly sent the addict reaching for a bottle or a pill is the third vital component of beating an addiction of any type. Your local New Jersey rehab center may or may not offer therapy to help the addict learn to live without a chemical crutch. If it does not, look farther afield.

In fact, this may be a good idea anyway. Addicts often do better when physically removed from the old haunts, the old stresses, while they focus on recovery. A New Jersey drug and alcohol treatment center that is too close to home may also put the addict too close to all the things that drove his addiction to start with. Families sometimes need to step back as well, to regain perspective and take advantage of outreach programs to heal the hurt and emotional damage.

For residents of New Jersey, drug and alcohol treatment centers are too easily available to justify failing to get help.