“Archangels gave me my life back. Their team is the most amazing, caring people I have ever met. The housing they sent me to was amazing, the groups are amazing, and this whole project is amazing. If you're tired of being sick and tired, reach out and save your life.”
“This facility is run by some of the best people you could ever ask for. They are extremely professional and truly dedicated to helping those struggling with mental health and addiction. They truly saved my life. I will be forever grateful for everything they did for me.”
“I had the honor of touring this facility, and it was absolutely beautiful, clean, and thoughtfully designed. But more than how it looked, you could feel the love in every detail. Watching the staff interact with clients genuinely touched my heart.”
Plain, fact-first answers about how care works here. Want to talk to a person? Call (888) 464-2144.
A 60-second walkthrough of the Tinton Falls clinic, the space where the program actually runs.
Heroin is an illicit semi-synthetic opioid synthesized from morphine. For most of the late twentieth century, "heroin use disorder" meant a specific clinical picture with a relatively predictable, if dangerous, drug. Today, the heroin supply in the United States is almost always mixed with fentanyl, sometimes entirely replaced by it, often without the user's knowledge. Treatment for heroin use disorder, in the practical sense, has become treatment for opioid use disorder in a fentanyl-contaminated supply.
This page covers the clinical specifics of heroin use disorder, the realities of the current supply, and the evidence-based treatment that works.
Heroin (diacetylmorphine) is a fast-acting mu-opioid receptor agonist. Compared to morphine, it crosses the blood-brain barrier more quickly, producing the rapid onset that defines its abuse potential. Once in the brain, heroin is metabolized to morphine; it is morphine that produces most of the sustained opioid effects.
Heroin can be injected, snorted, or smoked. Injection is the highest-risk route for both overdose and infection.
For more than a decade, the illicit opioid supply has shifted from "heroin" to "heroin and fentanyl mixtures" to, in many U.S. markets, "fentanyl sold as heroin." Three implications:
1. Tolerance to heroin alone does not predict tolerance to today's supply. A person using "heroin" today is usually using fentanyl, often in unpredictable doses. 2. Naloxone reverses both heroin and fentanyl overdoses, but fentanyl overdoses frequently require multiple doses of naloxone and a longer monitoring window because fentanyl outlasts a single naloxone dose. 3. **Treatment planning is the same as for fentanyl use disorder**, with attention to the buprenorphine induction considerations specific to fentanyl users.
If you use what is sold as heroin, assume fentanyl is in it.
Group rooms, private therapy offices, the medical office, family programming rooms, and the wellness space, designed for clinical depth and nervous-system regulation.
Common signs:
Physical signs that may be noticeable to family members:
Heroin withdrawal is unpleasant but rarely life-threatening on its own (in contrast to alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal). Symptoms typically begin 8 to 24 hours after the last use and peak at 36 to 72 hours, with most acute symptoms resolving by 5 to 10 days. Symptoms include:
Post-acute withdrawal symptoms (sleep disturbance, low mood, anhedonia, intermittent craving) can linger for weeks or months. This is one of the most common reasons people return to use without comprehensive treatment.
Medical detox can dramatically reduce the misery of withdrawal and stabilize the person for the start of buprenorphine-based MAT. See medical detox in Tinton Falls or medical detox in Charlotte.
Overdose risk is high with any heroin use today, because fentanyl contamination is unpredictable. Recognition and response:
Call 911. Administer naloxone (multiple doses may be needed for fentanyl-contaminated heroin). Begin rescue breathing if trained. Place the person on their side. Stay until help arrives. Good Samaritan laws protect callers.
Treatment integrates cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing, narrative therapy, and trauma-informed care with EMDR available in individual therapy. The medical provider manages MAT (Suboxone, Vivitrol, Sublocade) and psychiatric medications when indicated.
Intake uses the full evidence-based battery: ASAM Criteria, LOCUS for mental health acuity, PHQ-9, GAD-7, the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, plus biopsychosocial, nutrition, and pain screens. The assessment drives the treatment plan from day one.
See Our ModalitiesBeyond overdose, ongoing heroin use, particularly injection use, carries serious health risks:
These risks are not deterrents in the traditional sense; people in active addiction know about them and continue. What matters clinically is treating the underlying disorder, which simultaneously reduces the exposure that drives these risks.
Treatment follows the opioid use disorder continuum, with the fentanyl-aware adjustments noted above.
Medical detox at an accredited partner facility is often the right starting point. We coordinate placement and step-down into our outpatient continuum.
The Archangel Centers MAT formulary for heroin (and fentanyl-contaminated heroin) use disorder:
Methadone is not in our formulary; clients who need methadone are referred to a federally licensed opioid treatment program.
Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD are common co-occurring conditions in heroin use disorder. See depression and addiction, anxiety and addiction, and PTSD and addiction.
“I came back from rock bottom. I'm here because I want to show others they can too. This isn't just a business. It's my mission.”- Mike Sorrentino, Founder
Mike and Lauren Sorrentino did not set out to build a generic treatment center. They wanted a recovery-grounded program that mixes lived experience, licensed clinical expertise, and family programming that actually moves the needle for the people who love someone in active addiction.
The clinic that resulted is small enough that each client knows their primary therapist by name, but resourced enough to deliver the full ASAM continuum from Partial Care through outpatient continuing care, with MAT and EMDR available when clinically indicated.
Read the Full StoryMost clients leave the first admissions call with a clinical assessment, an insurance verification, and a scheduled start date. Recovery starts with a decision, not a commitment. The admissions line is staffed around the clock.
Confidential, 24/7 admissions. Same-week placement is often available. Verify your insurance free of charge before any commitment.
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