Welcome to Narcotics Anonymous of NJ. Our Message Is…
That an addict, any addict can stop using drugs,
lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live.
Helpline
If you feel you have a problem with drugs, call our helpline
Events
See upcoming NA events and activities in NJ
Narcotics Anonymous is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean.
– Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text, page 9
Recovery from addiction is possible and available through the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions of Narcotics Anonymous.
Narcotics Anonymous is FREEDOM from active addiction.
Narcotics Anonymous is an international, community-based association of recovering drug addicts with over 61,000 weekly meetings in over 131 countries worldwide.
Just for Today
"Survive my emotions?" some of us say. "You've got to be kidding!" When we were using, we never gave ourselves the chance to learn how to survive them. You don't survive your feelings, we thought--you drug them. The problem was, that "cure" for our unsurvivable emotions was killing us. That's when we came to Narcotics Anonymous, started working the Twelve Steps and, as a result, began to mature emotionally.
Many of us found emotional relief right from the start. We were tired of pretending that our addiction and our lives were under control; it actually felt good to finally admit they weren't. After sharing our inventory with our sponsor, we began to feel like we didn't have to deny who we were or what we felt in order to be accepted. When we'd finished making our amends, we knew we didn't have to suffer with guilt; we could own up to it and it wouldn't kill us. The more we worked the NA program, the better we felt about living life as it came to us.
The program works today as well as it ever did. By taking stock of our day, getting honest about our part in it, and surrendering to reality, we can survive the feelings life throws our way. By using the tools available to us, we've developed the ability to survive our emotions.
A Spiritual Principle a Day
Being a member of NA gives us plenty of chances to learn about relationships. For most of us, that starts with a sponsor and a home group, both of which offer lessons about autonomy. Every sponsor in NA, after all, eventually gets the opportunity to tell a sponsee, "Well, you're going to do what you're going to do, so..." Whether that comes from a place of loving acceptance or frustrated sarcasm--or a mix of both--our sponsors affirm that we are responsible for our own recovery. (And our consequences.) When we're ready, we'll change. And, as we often say, that might mean when we've had enough pain, we'll change.
The same is true in our groups. We offer one another experience, strength, and hope; the choice of whether to accept what is offered belongs to each of us as individuals. "Honestly, I was getting really tired of a home-group member who kept sharing about the same thing all the time," a member shared. "I got tired of being annoyed, so I just let it go and gave them space. Months later, they had a breakthrough and began to change. Today, we're very close. I was so glad I didn't have to wait for their breakthrough in order to feel better myself!"
The ability to keep our own pace and allow others to keep theirs is valuable in all of our relationships, including romantic ones. Whether or not our spouses or significant others are in recovery, a sign of an honest relationship is not being in 100 percent agreement on everything. It makes sense to experience discomfort in our relationships when we have differences of opinion, differing values, or different levels of willingness to practice principles. Practicing autonomy means knowing what we need to hold on to and what we need to let go of. If the answer to that isn't obvious, we can look to our group and our sponsor for guidance.
