FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

All NJ residents 18+ are eligible to use TRS

TRS peer support is a free service designed to connect individuals across New Jersey aged 18 and above to long term recovery resources.

Nope! Whether it’s a one-time conversation or regular calls, it’s all up to you. We’ll respect your decision and be there for you as long as you need.

Certainly! Our TRS peers are available to assist you, whether you’re managing your own difficulties or seeking aid for someone grappling with addiction or in the process of recovery. We’ll connect you with family support services and provide advice on offering valuable support.

At TRS, we are dedicated to achieving all of the following objectives for our callers:

• Providing meaningful, reliable, and ongoing support that instills trust.
• Assisting you in discovering the recovery path that aligns with your individual needs.
• Raising awareness of the factors that can positively or negatively impact your wellness and recovery journey.
• Facilitating connections to long-term recovery communities and resources.
• Inspiring hope for your recovery journey and offering opportunities to rebuild meaningful roles and relationships in your community.
• Working towards reducing instances of return to substance use and preventing overdoses.
• Establishing connections to services that break the cycle of frequent visits to emergency departments.
• Granting access to resources aimed at enhancing the quality of your life.

• Addiction is a complex disease, recognized as such by SAMHSA (link?)
• Addiction, even in its most severe and persistent forms, can be effectively addressed and managed through various supportive avenues. These include the assistance of families, healthcare professionals, trained Peer Support Specialists, certain 12-step programs, as well as other therapeutic modalities and pathways to recovery.

• SAMHSA defines recovery as a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential. Recovery signals a dramatic shift in the expectation for positive outcomes for individuals who experience mental and substance use conditions or the co-occurring of the two.
• Recovery is a personal journey of healing and regaining health and wellness.
• It involves actively engaging in supportive programs like therapy, medication management, peer support, or group programs, which help individuals address the root causes of their addiction.
• Recovery means embracing beliefs and behaviors that empower individuals to lead self-directed lives and strive for personal growth.
• It is finding fulfillment and happiness in life without relying on substance use.

Impaired Control:

• Taking the substance in larger amounts or for a longer period than intended.
• Persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control substance use.

Social Impairment:

• Important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of substance use.
• Continued use of the substance despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent social, academic, occupational, or interpersonal problem caused or exacerbated by the substance.

Risky Use:

• Recurrent substance use in situations where it is physically hazardous. Pharmacological Criteria:
• Tolerance: A need for increased amounts of the substance to achieve the desired effect, or diminished effect with continued use of the same amount.
• Withdrawal: Characteristic withdrawal symptoms or the substance is taken to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms.

Time Spent:

• A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain the substance, use the substance, or recover from its effects.

Neglect of Activities:

• Important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of substance use.

Craving:

• A strong desire or urge to use the substance.

Peer support provides callers with a unique and invaluable connection. Drawing from their own lived experiences, peers offer a level of understanding and acceptance that can be hard to find elsewhere in treatment settings.

This peer relationship offers non-clinical support rooted in a strength-based approach. Rather than aiming to replace clinical treatments, peer support supplements them, breaking down barriers to recovery. Peers collaborate with individuals to set recovery and wellness goals tailored to their needs. Through these relationships built on mutual trust and respect, peers inspire hope and demonstrate that recovery is achievable.

TRS recognizes and supports a diverse range of pathways to recovery, including but not limited to:

• Medicated Assisted Treatment
• Self-Directed Recovery
• Mutual Aid Programs
• Peer-Based Support Services
• Harm Reduction
• 12 Step Fellowships
• Traditional Therapeutic Approaches
• Holistic Wellness Practices
• Faith-Based Programs
• Cultural and Community-Based Supports

Yes! TRS peers absolutely can help you to assess all available treatment options and find the one that feels right to you. Utilizing our vast resource network we will ensure a gentle transition to the solution of your choosing.  You can also research available recovery center options in NJ on your own by visiting Reach NJ here.