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 come from severely damaged families. At times, the insanity that reigns among our relatives feels overwhelming. Sometimes we feel like packing our bags and moving far, far away.
We pray that our family members will join us in recovery but, to our great sadness, this does not always happen. Sometimes, despite our best efforts to carry the message, we find that we cannot help those we hold most dear. Our group experience has taught us that, frequently, we are too close to our relatives to help them. We learn it is better to leave them in our Higher Power's care.
We have found that when we stop trying to settle the problems of family members, we give them the room they need to work things out in their own lives. By reminding them that we are not able to solve their problems for them, we give ourselves the freedom to live our own lives. We have faith that God will help our relatives. Often, the best thing we can give our loved ones is the example of our own ongoing recovery. For the sake of our family's sanity and our own, we must let our relatives find their own ways to recover.
A Spiritual Principle a Day
Many of us have ideas in our heads of what we think we should be. These ideas may come from our families, friends, society, our religious backgrounds, and countless other influences. It's a little uncomfortable when our images of who we think we are and who we think we should be don't match. Getting to a place of self-acceptance when these pictures don't align can be challenging.
The Serenity Prayer is a big help here. There are some things about ourselves we may never be able to change. If we're a lot shorter or taller than most of the people we know, wishing or praying to be an average height isn't likely to do much. By talking through our discomfort with our sponsor or others we trust, we can begin to make peace with our height.
Then, of course, there are the qualities we are okay with, but others around us aren't! "I had a sense of humor that usually involved making someone the butt of the joke," one member wrote. "I kept hurting people, but I thought that if they would just get thicker skin, things would be fine. My sponsor suggested that I find ways to joke without hurting people. I was mad at first, but I worked on my sense of humor, and people don't look at me like I'm such an ass all the time now."
Part of accepting our frailties and imperfections comes in finding the wisdom to know the difference between what we must accept and what we can change. "That's just who I am" is an excuse we no longer need for harmful behavior. Talking with other addicts and connecting with our Higher Power can help us continue to grow into the people we want to be.
