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
We often hear it said in meetings that we should "stick with the winners." Who are the winners in Narcotics Anonymous? Winners are easily identified. They work an active program of recovery, living in the solution and staying out of the problem. Winners are always ready to reach their hands out to the newcomer. They have sponsors and work with those sponsors. Winners stay clean, just for today.
Winners are recovering addicts who keep a positive frame of mind. They may be going through troubled times, but they still attend meetings and share openly about it. Winners know in their hearts that, with the help of a Higher Power, nothing will come along that is too much to handle.
Winners strive for unity in their service efforts. Winners practice putting "principles before personalities." Winners remember the principle of anonymity, doing the principled action no matter who is involved. Winners keep a sense of humor. Winners have the ability to laugh at themselves. And when winners laugh, they laugh with you, not at you.
Who are the winners in Narcotics Anonymous? Any one of us can be considered a winner. All of us exhibit some of the traits of the winner; sometimes we come very close to the ideal, sometimes we don't. If we are clean today and working our program to the best of our ability, we are winners!
A Spiritual Principle a Day
"If it's not practical, it's not spiritual." Many of us have heard this before, but what does this mean exactly?
For starters, we can focus on living just for today as a practical matter. Instead of dwelling on regrets about the past and fears of what's ahead, we focus on what's right in front of us. As one member put it, "I concentrate on this day, and it frees me up to participate in my own life and recovery." We may plot our days in a particular direction, but we trust a loving power greater than ourselves with the outcome. Another member shared this strategy: "I ask myself, 'Where are my feet?' And then proceed to move one of them in front of the other."
We do our best. (How's that for practical?!) We follow through on what we can handle in the here and now, and shake off the impulse to achieve perfection. We learn our limits and work within them. Satisfaction comes from putting forth our best effort, even when we fall short of our goals. "To quiet my inner critic, I often need to reassure myself that I've done my best," one member shared. Another added: "When I feel good about what I'm doing, it's easier to dismiss other people's opinions of me."
Staying grounded with some practical, daily footwork improves our lives. "I learned everything I need to know about how to stay clean in my first 30 days around here. You people told me, 'Go to lots of meetings and don't take anything in between.' It sounded simple enough. 'If you don't pick up, you can't get high.' I thought these people were geniuses. 'Read the book. Get a sponsor. Work the Steps.' I followed this advice in the beginning, and it kept me clean. I follow this advice now because it keeps me in the solution."
