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
Many of us came to the program convinced that our feelings, our wants, and our needs were of the utmost importance to everyone. We had practiced a lifetime of self-seeking, self-centered behavior and believed it was the only way to live.
That self-centeredness doesn't cease just because we stop using drugs. Perhaps we attend our first NA function and are positive that everyone in the room is watching us, judging us, and condemning us. We may demand that our sponsor be on call to listen to us whenever we want--and they, in turn, may gently suggest that the world does not revolve around us. The more we insist on being the center of the universe, the less satisfied we will be with our friends, our sponsor, and everything else.
Freedom from self-obsession can be found through concentrating more on the needs of others and less on our own. When others have problems, we can offer help. When newcomers need rides to meetings, we can pick them up. When friends are lonely, we can spend time with them. When we find ourselves feeling unloved or ignored, we can offer the love and attention we need to someone else. In giving, we receive much more in return--and that's a promise we can trust.
A Spiritual Principle a Day
There's some irony in the fact that self-centeredness can make it difficult to stay in our own lane. In some cases, we disregard our own principles to give all our attention to what others think of us. Other times, we overlook our own behavior and focus instead on how other people fail to live up to our standards. Daily inventories help us focus on our own actions and motivations. We often find more clarity about our values and, as a result, the voice of our conscience becomes stronger and clearer. Whether or not we consider our own morals in making decisions, our actions place our principles out in the open for all to see.
Many of us come to NA with some baggage around the word moral. Much of what we know about morals and morality comes from family, society, or religion, and may not ring true for us. Maybe we misunderstood what we were taught, or it was communicated poorly. Maybe our values truly differ. In any case, getting to know ourselves better through Steps Four and Five helps many of us realign our own moral compass. We continue that work through a regular inventory in Step Ten. We learn to tap into our own inner wisdom and allow our conscience to guide our actions.
Where once our differing moral values may have led us to be defiant or judgmental, recovery allows us the courage and confidence to live according to the values that ring true for us. We might not always know the right thing to do, but as one member shared, "When I honestly check in with myself, I can at least figure out what the wrong thing is so I can not do that." Along with the guidance of our sponsor and our Higher Power, regular inventory helps us continually improve on our ability to live by our conscience.
