Needle-Exchange Working for New Jersey

New Jersey’s program of distributing clean needles and reclaiming dirty ones has had positive effects in curbing the spread of disease and has helped addicts into treatment, sources say. The program was introduced in 2006 in Atlantic City, and soon spread to Camden, Newark, and Paterson in 2008, and Jersey City in 2009. The program has decreased the rates of infection for HIV and other blood-borne illnesses—dirty needles have historically caused as much as 40% of new HIV cases. In the past few years since the needle-exchange program started, more than 2,000 drug users have been booked into drug treatment.

In a report by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Health Commissioner Mary O’Dowd stated that the program is a success and should be continued. “These programs have also been shown to facilitate enrollment of IDUs into drug rehabilitation programs,” said the report. This is good news: a good program of treatment in a highly-rated facility is the best remedy for drug addiction, whether the drug in question is heroin, prescription pills, marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, meth, PCP, bath salts, or anything else.

If you or someone you know has a problem with addiction or dependence to drugs, you should seek help now. Thankfully, there is good help available. Detoxification and behavioral therapy have proven to be effective in treating drug dependence. Addicts are often unable to complete treatment on their own or with family members, so it’s very important to seek the right treatment center. At Seabrook, we customize our treatment plans to individual patient’s needs, so you know the help you’re getting is right for you or a loved one. Seabrook has rehabilitation centers in New Jersey (NJ), Pennsylvania (PA), and an outpatient center in New York (NY). Contact Seabrook today for any questions about drugs, addiction, and treatment.