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
"I'd be better off dead!" A familiar refrain to a practicing addict, and with good reason. All we had to look forward to was more of the same miserable existence. Our hold on life was weak at best. Our emotional decay, our spiritual demise, and the crushing awareness that nothing would ever change were constants. We had little hope and no concept of the life we were missing out on.
The resurrection of our emotions, our spirits, and our physical health takes time. The more experience we gain in living, rather than merely existing, the more we understand how precious and delightful life can be. Traveling, playing with a small child, making love, expanding our intellectual horizons, and forming relationships are among the endless activities that say, "I'm alive." We discover so much to cherish and feel grateful to have a second chance.
If we had died in active addiction, we would have been bitterly deprived of so many of life's joys. Each day we thank a Power greater than ourselves for another day clean and another day of life.
A Spiritual Principal a Day
Attending meetings lets us see the myriad ways in which members practice the spiritual principle of love. We observe the pre-meeting rituals with warm welcomes all around. We recognize the love and trust it takes for us to share our pain, our breakthroughs, and our misadventures or to offer loving support by listening, nodding, and passing tissues.
After the meeting, we may catch a glimpse of a small group of two or three members who have stepped away from the crowd for a private conversation. Some of us have been pulled into such a discussion only to discover that our behavior was the topic. This may not have struck us as loving at the time.
As one member shared, "A couple of home-group members 'suggested' that I get to the meeting on time if I wanted to hug all my friends before I took a seat. I was a bit embarrassed, but learned to enter a bit more discreetly when I'm late." With hindsight, we can see the loving action members like these take to protect the atmosphere of recovery in our meetings and teach newer members how to behave. Love isn't always gentle. Sometimes we show love by saying, "We love you, but not your behavior."
Another addict shared, "Love is not simply an emotion; it's also an action." The action of love is the effort we choose to put into how we carry the message of NA. We share our recovery to save another addict's life, and it's one of the most loving actions we can take. It may not be convenient or easy, but the work is well worth it when we see a fellow addict grow into a productive member of society and pass the NA message on to other suffering addicts. This is the work of love.
