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We’re glad you reached out and look forward to speaking with you.
Sydney
Renova Recovery
Outpatient Drug & Alcohol Treatment Center
ADULT ALCOHOL TREATMENT
Alcohol Addiction Treatment in New Jersey
Outpatient alcohol treatment for adults across Ocean and Monmouth County. Evening groups, individual counseling included, and Vivitrol given on site. No leave of absence, no explaining yourself to anyone.
Answered 24/7. No charge, and nothing is committed to on the call.
Alcohol Treatment at Renova Recovery, in 30 Seconds
- Renova Recovery provides outpatient alcohol treatment for adults in Brick, New Jersey, serving Ocean and Monmouth County. Treatment runs at three intensities — partial hospitalization at about 30 hours a week, intensive outpatient at 9 to 15 hours, and standard outpatient at about 90 minutes a week — and you live at home throughout.
- Every client gets group therapy, individual counseling with an assigned counselor, and case management. Individual counseling is included and never billed on top. Vivitrol, the monthly extended-release form of naltrexone, is available for alcohol use disorder and is administered on site. It reduces craving and the reward from drinking, and it is not a narcotic.
- Renova is Joint Commission accredited, treats adults 18 and over, works out of network with most commercial PPO plans, and verifies benefits on the first call. There is no waitlist and most people start the same day or the next.
- Renova does not provide medical detox. Heavy daily drinking can produce withdrawal that is medically dangerous, so if that describes you, say so on the first call and we will help arrange detox before treatment starts here.
THE CONDITION
What Alcohol Use Disorder, or Alcoholism, Actually Is
Alcohol use disorder is the clinical name for what most people still call alcoholism. It is diagnosed on what the drinking is costing you, not on how much you drink, and it runs on a scale from mild to severe rather than a line you either have or have not crossed.
The criteria are things like drinking more or longer than you meant to, wanting to cut down and not managing it, spending a lot of time drinking or recovering, craving, and continuing after it has started causing problems at work, at home or with your health. Meeting two or three makes it mild. Six or more makes it severe. Most people who need treatment sit somewhere in the middle and have been there for years.
The word "alcoholic" carries a lot that the diagnosis does not. It suggests a rock bottom, a lost job, a particular kind of person. In practice most people in treatment for alcohol are working, housed and functioning, and the problem showed up as a slow narrowing of life rather than a collapse. You do not have to accept a label to get treatment, and nobody here will argue with you about the word.
Alcohol use disorder is also treatable at every severity. It responds to counseling, to structure, and for many people to medication. It does not require hitting bottom first.
IS THIS YOU?
Signs Drinking Has Become the Problem
Alcohol is the substance people wait longest to get help for, because it is legal, social and everywhere. There is usually no overdose and no arrest to force the issue. There is a slow accumulation of mornings.
• You have set rules about drinking and quietly broken them
• The first drink of the evening is the one you think about all afternoon
• Tolerance has climbed and the same amount does less than it used to
• You drink to get to sleep, and sleep is worse for it
• Mornings start with anxiety, a racing heart or unsteady hands
• You have had a DUI, a warning at work or a conversation at home about it
• Social plans get chosen around whether there will be drinking
• You have stopped for a stretch to prove you could, and then gone back
• You drink alone more than you used to, and mention it less
• The people closest to you have stopped bringing it up, which is its own signal
HOW TREATMENT WORKS
Outpatient Alcohol Treatment in New Jersey
Outpatient alcohol treatment means structured clinical treatment while you go on living at home. No residential stay, no month away, no handing your life to someone else. You attend scheduled sessions, you go home afterwards, and the work gets practiced in the environment where it actually has to hold.
That last part is the argument for it. Thirty days in a facility removes every trigger you have. It works, and then you come home to a house with wine in it, a job with a Friday drinks culture, and the same friends. Outpatient treats the drinking in the life it happens in, which is slower and less dramatic and, for a lot of people, more durable.
For alcohol specifically, outpatient has one more advantage that matters more than it should have to: it requires telling almost nobody. An evening group does not need a leave of absence, a conversation with HR, or an explanation to the neighbours. For people whose drinking has not yet cost them a job or a marriage, that privacy is frequently the difference between getting treatment and putting it off another year.
Renova runs all three outpatient levels out of one building with one clinical team, so the intensity can change without you changing providers or starting over.
LEVELS OF CARE
Which Level of Alcohol Treatment Fits
| Level | Time commitment | Usually right when |
|---|---|---|
| Partial Hospitalization (PHP) | 6 hours a day, 5 days | Drinking was daily and heavy, or you have just finished detox and need structure before anything else |
| Intensive Outpatient (IOP) | 3 hours a day, 3 to 5 days, morning, afternoon or evening | You need real structure but have to keep working; the common starting point for alcohol |
| Outpatient (OP) | About 90 minutes, once or twice a week, usually evening | Stepping down after IOP, or drinking that is damaging but has not taken over the week |
| Vivitrol alongside any level | Monthly injection, on site | Craving is the thing getting in the way of the counseling work |
An ASAM assessment at intake decides which one, and it takes about an hour. Most people with alcohol use disorder start at IOP and step down to outpatient rather than starting at the top.
BEFORE YOU START
Do You Need Detox Before Outpatient Alcohol Treatment?
Some people do. Alcohol is one of the few substances where stopping suddenly can be medically dangerous rather than just miserable. Severe alcohol withdrawal can cause seizures and delirium tremens, and it needs medical supervision.
Renova does not provide medical detox. We are an outpatient facility, and pretending otherwise would put people at risk. What we do is assess honestly, help arrange detox where it is needed, and hold a place for you to step into PHP, IOP or outpatient afterwards.
Tell us on the first call if any of the following is true. It changes what happens next, and it is not a reason to be turned away.
• You drink every day, or nearly every day
• You have had shakes, sweats or nausea in the morning until you drink
• You have had a withdrawal seizure or delirium tremens before
• You have been told by a doctor not to stop drinking abruptly
• You have been drinking heavily for years without a real break
If none of that applies, outpatient is very likely the right place to start, and the assessment will confirm it.
MEDICATION SUPPORT
Naltrexone and Vivitrol for Alcohol Use Disorder
Naltrexone is one of three medications the FDA has approved for alcohol use disorder, and most people who could benefit from it have never been offered it. It is the one Renova uses, and it has a practical advantage the others do not: it can be started while someone is still drinking.
It works on the reward pathway. Alcohol triggers a release of endorphins that lands on opioid receptors, and that hit is a large part of what makes the second drink lead to the fourth. Naltrexone blocks those receptors. Drinking stops delivering what it used to, cravings quieten, and for many people the compulsion to keep going once they have started drops away. It is not a punishment drug — it does not make you sick if you drink, the way disulfiram does. It makes drinking less interesting.
Vivitrol is naltrexone in an extended-release injection given once a month. Renova administers it on site at the Brick office, so it is part of your treatment rather than one more appointment somewhere else. The daily oral tablet exists too, but the monthly injection removes the decision from every single morning, and for people in early recovery that matters more than it sounds.
Naltrexone is not a narcotic, is not addictive, and has no withdrawal if you stop it. It is not a substitute for treatment either. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism describes medication and behavioral treatment as complementary rather than alternatives, which is why Renova runs it alongside a level of care rather than on its own.
Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Core Resource on Alcohol, "Recommend Evidence-Based Treatment: Know the Options".
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/health-professionals-communities/core-resource-on-alcohol/recommend-evidence-based-treatment-know-options
What naltrexone does and does not do
| What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|
| Blocks the endorphin reward that alcohol produces | Make you sick or violently ill if you drink |
| Reduces craving between drinking occasions | Create a physical barrier to drinking |
| Reduces heavy drinking days for many people | Work on its own without counseling |
| Makes it easier to stop once you have started | Cause dependence or withdrawal of its own |
| Comes as a daily tablet or a monthly injection | Require you to be abstinent before starting in every case |
| Also treats opioid use disorder | Contain any opioid or narcotic |
How Vivitrol works at Renova
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where is it given? | On site at our Brick office, as part of your treatment |
| How often? | One injection a month |
| Who decides? | Our affiliated physician coordinates MAT and assesses suitability before the first injection |
| Does it run alongside treatment? | Yes, with PHP, IOP or outpatient. It is not offered as a standalone |
| Is it a narcotic? | No. Non-opioid, non-narcotic, no withdrawal on stopping |
| What about Suboxone or methadone? | Not offered at Renova. Those are opioid medications and are not used for alcohol |
| Is it covered? | Frequently, but it varies. Admissions checks it with the rest of your benefits |
If you have been told medication for drinking is not a real option, or nobody has raised it with you at all, ask about it on the first call.
WHAT YOU GET
What Alcohol Treatment at Renova Includes
| Included | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Group therapy | The core of every level, led by a licensed clinician, mixed groups |
| Individual counseling | An assigned counselor and one-to-one sessions, included for every client, never billed on top |
| Case management | Court and employer documentation, prescriber coordination, vocational and practical support |
| ASAM assessment | At intake and reviewed as you go, with you in the room |
| Vivitrol | Administered on site, monthly, alongside any level of care |
| Relapse prevention planning | A written plan with your own early warning signs and an agreed trigger to step back up |
| Alcohol and drug screening | Part of the program, and available as documentation when you authorize it |
| Co-occurring mental health care | Anxiety, depression and trauma treated in the program rather than referred out |
Alcohol Counseling at Renova
Alcohol counseling is the core of what happens here, and at Renova it is included at every level rather than sold as an extra. You are assigned a counselor at intake and you keep them as you move between levels of care, so you are not retelling your history to a new person every few weeks.
Individual sessions are where the things that do not belong in a room of twelve people get worked on: a marriage, a bereavement, a job, a probation officer, the thing nobody has said out loud yet. They are scheduled an hour after group or an hour before an evening group, so one trip covers both.
Counselors are licensed. Group work is led by clinicians rather than facilitators, and the same people run the individual sessions, which means the person across the desk already knows what you said in group on Tuesday.
CLINICAL APPROACH
Therapies Used in Alcohol Treatment
| Approach | What it does for drinking specifically | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Behavioral Therapy | Catches the thought that runs ahead of the first drink and changes what happens next | /cognitive-behavioral-therapy |
| Motivational interviewing | Works with ambivalence about stopping rather than arguing against it. Central with alcohol, where most people are genuinely torn | /addiction-therapy#motivational-interviewing |
| Dialectical Behavior Therapy | Distress tolerance for the evenings that used to end in a bottle | /dialectical-behavior-therapy |
| Relapse prevention therapy | Written plans, early warning signs, rehearsed responses to the predictable situations | /relapse-prevention-therapy |
| Group therapy | Accountability from people who recognise the excuses | /group-therapy |
| Individual therapy | One-to-one work with your assigned counselor | /individual-therapy |
| Family therapy | Repairing what years of drinking did to the people at home | /family-therapy |
| Couples therapy | Rebuilding trust with a partner who has heard promises before | /couples-therapy |
| Trauma-informed care | For drinking that started as a way to manage something older | /addiction-therapy#trauma-informed-care |
| Mindfulness-based interventions | Makes craving observable instead of automatic | /addiction-therapy#mindfulness |
Renova's therapists are licensed to treat trauma. Clinical Director Rachele McGowan, LPC, LCADC, holds CCTP-II certification in clinical trauma treatment.
CO-OCCURRING CARE
Alcohol, Anxiety and Depression
A large share of heavy drinking starts as self-medication. Alcohol is a fast, legal, socially acceptable anxiety treatment that works for about two hours and then makes the underlying anxiety worse. The same is true of sleep and of low mood. The relief is real, which is exactly why the pattern sticks.
That creates a problem in early recovery. Take the alcohol away and the thing it was covering is still there, usually louder, and often for the first time in years. People describe it as anxiety appearing out of nowhere at four weeks sober. It did not appear out of nowhere.
This is a common point at which people go back to drinking, and it is why Renova treats co-occurring anxiety and depression as part of the programme rather than referring it out. Where symptoms need psychiatric care beyond outpatient scope, case management coordinates it instead of leaving you to arrange it.
COURT-INVOLVED CLIENTS
DUI and Court-Ordered Alcohol Treatment in New Jersey
A lot of alcohol treatment in this county starts with a court date rather than a decision. In Ocean County, 768 treatment admissions a year involve a driving-under-the-influence case, and 633 arrive through the Intoxicated Driver Resource Center — 9% of county admissions against 6% statewide. In a county built around driving, that is not a niche.
Renova works with clients referred through the IDRC after a DUI, through Recovery Court, through probation and parole, and through attorneys arranging treatment before a sentencing date. Case management produces what the court actually asks for, released only with your written authorization: a completed assessment with a level-of-care recommendation, enrolment confirmation, attendance records, screening results, progress reports and completion documentation.
Coming in because a judge said so is a perfectly legitimate way to start. Plenty of people who arrived resentful about the requirement stayed after it was satisfied, which is the outcome everyone involved was quietly hoping for.
What the IDRC actually requires
After a drink-driving conviction in New Jersey you are referred to an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center. A first conviction means either a 12-hour programme run over two consecutive days, six hours a day, or a 48-hour programme in a regional facility, depending on the sentence.
During that detention you are screened for risk, and you may be referred for a full substance use disorder assessment. If that assessment recommends treatment, completing the treatment becomes part of your sentence rather than a suggestion, and the IDRC monitors your progress through it.
That is the point at which most people start looking for a provider, usually with a deadline attached. Renova takes IDRC referrals directly, produces the documentation the centre and the court require, and can begin within days rather than weeks.
Ocean County's Intoxicated Driver Resource Center is at 732-341-9700 ext. 7500. If a court, a probation officer or the IDRC has directed you to get an evaluation or enter treatment, say so on your first call. It changes how the assessment is scheduled and what needs to be set up from the start.
Source: New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, intoxicated driving program information.
https://www.nj.gov/humanservices/dmhas/resources/intoxicated-driving
COVERAGE AND COST
Does Insurance Cover Alcohol Treatment in New Jersey?
Usually, in some form. Renova works out of network with commercial PPO plans. Out of network is not the same as uncovered — most PPO plans include out-of-network behavioural health benefits, and federal parity law requires substance use benefits to be no more restrictive than medical ones. What differs is how your deductible, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximum apply.
Outpatient is the least expensive level of structured treatment because you are paying for sessions rather than days of programming. Vivitrol is often covered as a medical benefit, sometimes separately from the treatment itself.
Call and admissions runs a verification of benefits while you are on the phone. You get told what your plan covers, where you stand on the deductible, and what your share looks like, before you commit to anything. Private pay is available for people without coverage or who would rather no claim were filed.
OCEAN COUNTY DATA
Alcohol Is the Most Common Reason People Enter Treatment Here
New Jersey publishes county treatment data every year, and the Ocean County numbers make the point plainly. Of 6,708 substance use treatment admissions among county residents in 2024, alcohol was the primary substance in 48% — six points above the statewide figure of 42%, and the largest single category by a distance. Heroin was 30%.
The share has been climbing: 42% in 2022, 45% in 2023, 48% in 2024, while heroin fell from 38% to 30% over the same three years. The largest age group in treatment is 35 to 44, with a further 32% aged 45 and over.
If it feels like everyone around you drinks the same way you do, that is not entirely an illusion. It is also not a reason to keep going.
See the full Ocean County treatment data, county against statewide
/ocean-county-addiction-resources#treatment-data
Source: New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Substance Use Overview 2022, 2023 and 2024, Ocean County and Statewide reports.
GETTING STARTED
How to Start Alcohol Treatment at Renova
There is no waitlist. Most people who call in the morning start that day or the next.
1. Call 908-533-9808. You speak to a person, not a call centre. The first conversation covers what has been happening and what you are looking for.
2. Benefits are verified on that call, so you know what your plan covers before anything is scheduled.
3. An assessment establishes the right level of care. If you need detox first, you are told that and helped to arrange it.
4. You are matched with a counsellor and given your session times.
5. Some people tour the building first and start the next day. That is normal.
If getting here is the obstacle, say so on the call. Nobody should skip treatment over transportation and we will go through the options with you.
Renova Recovery
35 Beaverson Blvd, Building 6A
Brick Township, NJ 08723
908-533-9808
AREAS SERVED
Alcohol Treatment Serving Ocean and Monmouth County
Renova Recovery is in Brick Township, off Route 70 and a short run from Exit 91 of the Parkway, with parking at the door. An evening group is a manageable drive from most of northern Ocean County and the southern Monmouth shore towns.
Serving:
Toms River ·
Point Pleasant ·
Lakewood ·
Jackson ·
Wall Township
COMMON QUESTIONS
Alcohol Treatment in New Jersey: Frequently Asked Questions
What is outpatient alcohol treatment?
Outpatient alcohol treatment is structured clinical treatment for alcohol use disorder while you continue living at home. You attend scheduled group and individual sessions and go home afterwards. At Renova Recovery in Brick, NJ, it runs at three intensities: partial hospitalization at about 30 hours a week, intensive outpatient at 9 to 15 hours, and standard outpatient at about 90 minutes a week.
Does outpatient alcohol treatment work?
For the right person at the right stage, yes. It works when home is safe enough to recover in and there is enough stability to carry the work between sessions. It is not a substitute for medical detox, and it is not the right level for someone whose drinking has escalated to the point that a few hours a week will not touch it. An assessment settles which is which.
Do I need detox before alcohol treatment?
Some people do. Alcohol is one of the few substances where stopping suddenly can be medically dangerous, and severe withdrawal can cause seizures or delirium tremens. If you drink daily, get shakes or sweats in the morning, or have had withdrawal problems before, say so on the first call. Renova does not provide detox but helps arrange it and picks up afterward.
What is naltrexone and how does it help with drinking?
Naltrexone blocks the opioid receptors that alcohol acts on, which reduces both craving and the reward from drinking. It does not make you sick if you drink. It makes drinking less rewarding, which for many people makes it easier to stop after one and easier not to start. It is one of three medications the FDA has approved for alcohol use disorder, and unlike some of the others it can be started while someone is still drinking.
Is Vivitrol the same as naltrexone?
Yes. Vivitrol is naltrexone in an extended-release injection given once a month, rather than a daily tablet. Renova administers it on site at the Brick office as part of treatment.
Is naltrexone a narcotic or addictive?
No. Naltrexone is non-opioid and non-addictive, and there is no withdrawal if you stop taking it. Renova does not prescribe methadone or Suboxone, which are opioid medications and are not used for alcohol.
How long does alcohol treatment last?
There is no fixed number of weeks. Length is set by clinical need and reviewed with you as you go. Many people with alcohol use disorder start in intensive outpatient, step down to weekly outpatient after some weeks, and stay in weekly treatment for a long period because that is what keeps it stable.
Can I keep working during alcohol treatment?
Yes, and for most people that is the point. Intensive outpatient runs morning, afternoon or evening so it can be fitted around a job, and standard outpatient is a single 90-minute evening session. Nothing obliges you to tell an employer, and treatment records are not released without your written authorization.
Is alcohol treatment covered by insurance in New Jersey?
Usually, in some form. Renova works out of network with commercial PPO plans, and most PPO plans include out-of-network behavioral health benefits. Federal parity law requires substance use benefits to be no more restrictive than medical benefits. Call and admissions will verify your benefits while you are on the phone.
Do you accept court-ordered and IDRC clients for alcohol treatment?
Yes. Renova works with clients referred through the Intoxicated Driver Resource Center after a DUI, through Recovery Court, and through probation, parole and attorneys. Case management provides assessments, attendance records, screening results and completion documentation, released with your written authorization.
What if I am not sure I am an alcoholic?
Then start with the assessment rather than the label. Alcohol use disorder is diagnosed on what the drinking is costing you, not on how much you drink, and it ranges from mild to severe. Nobody at Renova will argue with you about the word.
Can you treat someone who is still drinking?
Yes. People do not have to be sober to start. The assessment establishes whether it is safe to begin at an outpatient level or whether detox needs to come first.
Do you offer alcohol treatment in the evening?
Yes. Intensive outpatient (IOP) has a 5pm to 8pm option and standard outpatient sessions are usually evening, so treatment does not require time off work.
What happens if I drink during treatment?
You come in and say so. A slip triggers a reassessment, not a discharge. Depending on what is safe that may mean adding sessions, stepping up a level, or arranging detox.
Do you treat anxiety and depression alongside drinking?
Yes. Co-occurring anxiety, depression and trauma are treated as part of the program rather than referred out, and clinicians are licensed to treat trauma. A lot of heavy drinking starts as self-medication, and the underlying problem surfaces once the alcohol stops.
Is there a waitlist?
No. Most people who call in the morning start that day or the next.
Do you provide inpatient or residential alcohol rehab?
No. Renova is outpatient only: partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, standard outpatient and medication-assisted treatment. If an assessment points to residential care we say so and help you find it.
Are groups men and women together?
Yes. Renova runs mixed groups rather than gender-specific tracks.
What ages do you treat?
Adults 18 and over.
Can my family be involved?
Yes. Family and couples sessions are available where they fit the treatment plan, and they are frequently where the most difficult and most useful work happens.
How much does alcohol treatment cost?
It depends on your plan's out-of-network deductible, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximum, so any figure quoted on a website would be wrong for most readers. Outpatient is the least expensive level of structured treatment. Admissions tells you your actual share after verifying benefits, before you commit.
Is alcohol really the biggest problem here, or is it opioids?
In this county, alcohol. Of 6,708 Ocean County treatment admissions in 2024, alcohol was the primary substance in 48% against 30% for heroin, and the alcohol share has risen every year since 2022 while heroin has fallen.
TAKE THE FIRST STEP
Start Alcohol Treatment in New Jersey
Most people who call have been thinking about it for a year or more. The call takes ten minutes, tells you what your insurance covers, and commits you to nothing.
Renova Recovery is a Joint Commission accredited, New Jersey licensed outpatient treatment facility for adults 18 and over. If you are in immediate danger call 911. For mental health or suicide crisis support, call or text 988.