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
For many of us, fear was a constant factor in our lives before we came to Narcotics Anonymous. We used because we were afraid to feel emotional or physical pain. Our fear of people and situations gave us a convenient excuse to use drugs. A few of us were so afraid of everything that we were unable even to leave our homes without using first.
As we stay clean, we replace our fear with a belief in the fellowship, the steps, and a Higher Power. As this belief grows, our faith in the miracle of recovery begins to color all aspects of our lives. We start to see ourselves differently. We realize we are spiritual beings, and we strive to live by spiritual principles.
The application of spiritual principles helps eliminate fear from our lives. By refraining from treating other people in harmful or unlawful ways, we find we needn't fear how we will be treated in return. As we practice love, compassion, understanding, and patience in our relationships with others, we are treated in turn with respect and consideration. We realize these positive changes result from allowing our Higher Power to work through us. We come to believe--not to think, but to believe--that our Higher Power wants only the best for us. No matter what the circumstances, we find we can walk in faith instead of fear.
A Spiritual Principal a Day
Our willingness to stay clean triggers willingness to improve our lives. In turn, we're able to look at ourselves with greater clarity and a realness we never imagined possible. Our minds become open to an awareness of our shortcomings and our limitations. We humbly evaluate and acknowledge our assets. Acceptance of where we are right now creates a willingness to move forward. And like everything in recovery--and in life--we won't experience self-acceptance perfectly. Rather, it's something we strive for daily.
In recovery, accepting ourselves doesn't mean we accept our conditions. Instead, we can pursue new goals that better mirror the self we have come to accept. Many of us who find some stability in NA also find the willingness to create new opportunities for ourselves or take ones that are offered to us. We now know that we don't have to be held back or be victimized by our past. We follow through on a long-held dream, rent our own place for the first time, enroll in or finish college, or start a family.
We also can be led by a deep-seated knowing, or what one member called "divine dissatisfaction." A motivating, self-affirming voice tells us it's time to move on from the relationship that we've used all the arrows in our quiver to save. It tells us to move on from a job that's no longer fulfilling us, to move to a new city, to just move our lives in some significant way. We learn to trust our instincts.
Our self-acceptance helps us to be willing to make mistakes--and then be willing to forgive ourselves and learn from them. We find ourselves often being more flexible, knowing that we'll be okay no matter what, more resilient and responsible, less of a perfectionist. If one endeavor doesn't work, we're willing to feel the pain of failure and then seek an alternative strategy to reach our goal.
