Welcome to the Burlington County Area of Narcotics Anonymous
“The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using”…Tradition 3
DRUG PROBLEM? CALL OUR HELPLINE: 1-800-992-0401
UPCOMING MEETINGS
The NA White Booklet
If you are new to Narcotics Anonymous, we recommend the Narcotics Anonymous White Booklet, also known as “The Little White Book” and as NA’s first piece of Literature. It’s a great introduction to the program to get you started! Click on the image to download the booklet. You can also explore one of the other informational pamphlets found on the Literature page of this website..
What is NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS?
~ Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text, page 9.
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Narcotics Anonymous is an international, community-based association of recovering drug addicts with over 58,000 weekly meetings in over 131 countries worldwide
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Recovery from addiction is possible and available through the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions of Narcotics Anonymous.
Just For Today
What a mixture of folks we have in Narcotics Anonymous! In any given meeting on any given night, we'll find a variety of people that probably never would have sat down in a room together if it weren't for the disease of addiction.
A member who is a physician described his unwillingness to identify at his first meeting by refusing to go into "that room full of junkies." Another member with an extensive background in jails and institutions shared a similar story, except that her shock and surprise stemmed from the realization that "there were nice people there--wearing suits, yet!" These two friends recently celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary.
The most unlikely people form friendships, sponsor each other, and do service work together. We meet in the rooms of recovery together, sharing the bonds of past suffering and hope for the future. We meet on mutual ground with our focus on the two things we all have in common--addiction and recovery.
Spiritual Principle a Day
Getting those first 30 days clean is a milestone for many reasons, not least of which is that it gives us some resolve to get 31, then 32, and so on. We didn't think we could, but here we are. And the unpredictable journey continues . . . As difficult as that period of time may have been, we are going to need the faith that got us through it--a day at a time, sometimes an hour, or a minute--as life continues to reveal itself.
We may not view practicing faith as essential to our early recovery as it's happening. In retrospect, we understand that it took faith to surrender, ask for help, and allow ourselves to be supported. Something else is revealed as well: We are stronger for it. That awareness becomes very useful when we experience life's inevitable misfortunes. We've all doubted, at some point, that we can make it through certain challenges clean--death of a loved one, prison, divorce, severe illness, financial ruin, natural disasters; the list goes on. The longer we stay alive and clean, the more likely it is that we will be exposed to life's hardships.
We watch others stay clean through the worst. We hear them share about the strength they've gained by relying on faith to pull through. Witnessing their resolve strengthens our own--and our faith in NA. If someone else can do it, we can, too. And we, who at one time were emotionally unavailable or unreliable in relationships, are now able to help people we love through their suffering.
It's true that many of us have discovered that experiencing adversity can be one pathway toward gratitude, peace, and serenity. We grow through the pain. But let's also be realistic about how this may manifest. Many of us will smile and have some relief to share. Others will undergo unbelievably crushing experiences that we will have to manage daily--at times, by the hour or minute--for the rest of our lives. Most days we will be able to get out of bed, go to work, care for our families, and help others. Some days, just continuing to stay on this earth will be the best we can offer. Recovery in NA doesn't eliminate pain and suffering from our lives, but our faith gives us a way to endure it.