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Heroin addiction help in New Jersey.
Street heroin’s contents has become a deadly mystery with the addition of unknown quantities of fentanyl and/or Xylazine. This makes stopping on your own more challenging and riskier than it used to be and represents the key reason you should seek medical support when you decide you want to stop using.
- Medically monitored detox, with medication to manage withdrawal
- Short- and long-term residential treatment and co-occurring disorders treatment
- A long track record of success - we've helped New Jerseyans get sober for 50+ years
- Low to no cost - Medicaid accepted, plus most major insurance
- Compassion and Empathy - No judgment, no pressure, no obligation
Key points
- Tolerance and withdrawal are the brain adapting to a drug. The disease of addiction is not a character flaw, a moral shortcoming or something willpower can overcome.
- Illegally made fentanyl is often mixed into street heroin, and there's no way to judge the strength of each dose.
- Withdrawal usually starts eight to twenty-four hours after the last dose and most symptoms run their course within four to ten days.
- Turning Point provides medically monitored detox in Paterson, with residential treatment in the same building and comfort medications to manage most side-effects.
The short answer
Where can I get treatment for heroin addiction in New Jersey?
Turning Point is a nonprofit and a Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility facility, and we take most major insurance. Our admissions team will assess your needs, share options, and guide your decision making on the first call.
Why heroin is harder to stop than it used to be?
Heroin is an opioid made from morphine, which comes from the poppy plant. It reaches the brain quickly and binds to receptors that control pain and reward. With repeated use, the brain adapts to expect it (NIDA). That adaptation is what tolerance and withdrawal are and establishes one of the basic foundations of the disease of addiction.
What has made it more difficult to stop or “detox” is the change in the make-up of the street-supply. Illegally made fentanyl, which is far more potent than heroin, is now mixed into much of the street heroin, and the person using has no way to judge the strength of any given dose. Overdose risk is unpredictable in a way it wasn't 20 years ago, and withdrawal can arrive faster (precipitated withdrawal often triggered by suboxone) and feels different than previous detox experiences from years prior.
So, the unpredictability of tapering and impact of precipitated withdrawal is why stopping alone or at home isn't advised. Also, tolerance levels drop within days of your last dose, so the amount that felt “normal” or “routine” the previous week can be enough to trigger an overdose.
What withdrawal actually involves.
Opioid withdrawal usually starts eight to twenty-four hours after the last dose of a short acting opioid like heroin, and most of it runs its course within four to ten days. It's often described as a severe flu with intense agitation, including muscle and bone aches, stomach cramps, nausea, sweating, runny nose, dilated pupils, goosebumps, and restlessness that makes sleep almost impossible.
Unlike alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal, opioid withdrawal is not usually life threatening on its own. What makes it dangerous is dehydration from days of vomiting and diarrhea, and the drop in tolerance that makes a return to use so much more likely to be fatal.
A variety of withdrawal management medications are used to ideally prevent a precipitated withdrawal, and comfort medications are provided to ease the discomfort and uncomfortableness of the withdrawal. Every patient is assessed and treated individually based on their usage and treatment histories.
What treatment looks like at Turning Point.
Medically monitored detox
Usually, the first step is 24/7 medically monitored detox. A variety of medications are used to ease your withdrawal symptoms. Every patient is treated individually to ensure a tailored and more effective approach addresses your unique profile. During the detox process, the drugs and alcohol leave your system and prepares you for the next stage in your recovery journey most typically a transfer to our residential programs. All of our programs are located in our Paterson facility so internal transfer is seamless.
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
Turning Point uses all forms of MAT: Methadone, buprenorphine (Subs and injectables), and naltrexone are the most common approved options each working through different routes. Two reduce cravings and withdrawal by acting on the same receptors, and one blocks the effect entirely (SAMHSA). We will work with you and assess your use and treatment history and make the appropriate recommendation that fits your profile.
Residential treatment
During residential treatment, Turning Point works with you to assess your behaviors, decision making, life skills, family relations and thought processes that led to your substance use. You live onsite and receive structured, around-the-clock support to begin to address your substance abuse, and in parallel your mental health or medical issues requiring further stabilization. Short-term is typically 2-4 weeks and long-term is typically 3-6 months.
Co-occurring disorders and medical stability
While you are in residential treatment, Turning Point will assess you from a mental and physical health perspective to determine the severity and treatment necessary for any disorders that may interfere with your sobriety that will be built into your treatment plan and addressed accordingly.
Request a callback
You don't have to figure this out alone.
Leave your details and someone from our admissions team will call you back. They'll ask what you've been using, including anything it may have been cut with, and talk you through detox and what comes after it. Free and confidential.
You may be eligible for free treatment.
We're a nonprofit and a Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility certified facility, and we take most major insurance. Admissions can usually tell you what you're eligible for on the first call, before you commit to anything.
Common questions about heroin treatment.
Can I die from heroin withdrawal?
Opioid withdrawal by itself is not usually life threatening, unlike withdrawal from alcohol or benzodiazepines. The real dangers are dehydration from days of vomiting and diarrhea, and the sharp drop in tolerance that makes returning to your usual dose far more likely to be fatal. Detoxing in a medically supervised program addresses both issues safely and effectively.
How long does heroin withdrawal last?
For a short acting opioid like heroin, symptoms usually begin eight to twenty-four hours after the last dose and the acute phase runs about four to ten days. Sleep problems, depressed or agitated mood and cravings can persist for weeks after the physical symptoms settle, which is why residential treatment and medication assisted treatment (MAT) is strongly encouraged following your detox.
Can I detox from heroin at home?
People do and sometimes manage it. Tapering persists the risk of overdose due to unpredictability of street heroin. The medical risks formally are dehydration from days of vomiting and diarrhea, and the drop in tolerance afterward makes a return to use much more likely to be fatal. A medically supervised detox addresses both, by providing medication to ease you off heroin and supervision to ensure that you do it safely.
I did not know I was taking fentanyl. Does that change the admissions process?
No. Tell our admissions and clinical teams what you believe you've been taking, including anything you're unsure about, because it changes how detox is managed. We will test for a wide variety of substances upon admission to validate and verify your use and to adapt your detox protocol to you.
Do I have to stop before I call?
No. you are not expected, nor should you arrive already detoxed — and you can be at any point in usage to start the conversation. Our admissions team will ask what you've been using, how much and when was your last use, so our clinical team can plan your detox safely and accordingly.
What happens after detox?
That depends on your clinical needs. It might be short- or long-term residential treatment, medication assisted treatment, outpatient care, or a combination. Our Admissions team will walk you through all options before you arrive, and your counselor will explore them with you.
Is medication assisted treatment just swapping one drug for another?
No. Methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone are approved treatments for opioid use disorder. They are prescribed and monitored, and they reduce both cravings and overdose deaths. MAT allows you to work, live at home, sleep and live a reasonable "normal" life.
What if the heroin I have been using had fentanyl in it?
Assume it did. Illegally made fentanyl is mixed into much of the supply and there is no way to judge it by looking. Tell the admissions and clinical team what you have been using and how much, including anything you suspect, because it changes how your detox is managed.
Is this confidential?
Yes. Addiction treatment records are protected under 42 CFR Part 2, which is stricter than HIPAA fully protecting your confidentiality from whomever you choose including your employer or family.
Do you take Medicaid?
Yes. We're a nonprofit and a Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility certified facility, and we take most major insurance as well. If you're not sure what you have, our admissions team can check your coverage while you're on the phone.
Methadone
What if I am on methadone?
If you are currently using methadone as your MAT option, Turning Point can accommodate you at all levels of care. Suburban Health (a methadone clinic) is co-located in our Paterson location, making admissions and treatment continuity a snap. We are able to detox you off other substances, stabilize your dose and adjust your dose while in residential treatment.
More about methadone treatment →You can start with one phone call.
Call and tell us what's been going on. We'll talk through the options and tell you straight, including if we're not the right fit.