Celebrate Recovery 12 Step Meetings, 8 Principles & Locator

Celebrate Recovery 12 Steps

Celebrate Recovery commenced in 1991 at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. At that time, the church was gathering at a high school gymnasium. On the first night, 43 people attended, and Celebrate Recovery was born. Opening with only four open share groups, men’s and women’s substance dependency and men’s and women’s codependency, the ministry has expanded to up to 14 groups.

Over 27,000 people have proceeded through the Saddleback Church program, many currently serving in Celebrate Recovery. Celebrate Recovery is the number one outreach service at Saddleback Church, with over 70% of its participants coming from outside the church.

What is Celebrate Recovery?

Celebrate Recovery is a Christian-based program designed to help individuals recover from various issues, including addiction and mental health. The program incorporates the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, the principles of the Serenity Prayer, and Biblical teachings and support from others in the group. The program is open to anyone, regardless of addiction or mental health issues.

The Celebrate Recovery program proclaims as part of a movement that delivers the healing power of Jesus Christ to the hurting and broken.

Celebrate Recovery Locator

If you are looking for a Celebrate Recovery meeting near you, you can use the Celebrate Recovery locator tool on their official website.

Celebrate Recovery Meeting List

Here are the steps to use the locator:

1. Go to the Celebrate Recovery website: https://www.celebraterecovery.com/
2. Click on the “Find a Group” button in the top right corner of the page.
3. Enter your location information in the search bar, such as your city, state, or zip code.
4. You can also filter your search by the type of group you’re interested in (such as men’s, women’s, or youth) or the issue you’re dealing with (such as addiction or anxiety).
5. Click the “Search” button, and the website will display a list of Celebrate Recovery groups in your area, along with their meeting times and locations.
6. Select the group you’re interested in attending, and contact them for more information or to confirm the meeting details.

8 Principles of Celebrate Recovery

These 8 Principles Celebrate Recovery follow are based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous but have been adapted to incorporate Christian teachings and values. They are intended to guide individuals in their recovery journey and to help them develop a closer relationship with God. Celebrate Recovery meetings typically focus on one principle each week, and participants are encouraged to share their experiences with the group.

The 8 Principles of Celebrate Recovery are:

1. Realize I’m not God; I admit I cannot control my tendency to do wrong, and my life is unmanageable.
2. Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He can help me recover.
3. Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.
4. Openly examine and confess my faults to God, myself, and someone I trust.
5. Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.
6. Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others.
7. Reserve daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.
8. Yield me to God to bring this Good News to others by my example and words.

Learn More:

• The Importance Of The 12 Step Program
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Effective Support Through 12 Steps
• What is Emotional Sobriety? How To Understand & Practice It
• Help for Family Members of Drug Addicts
• Drug Addicts Anonymous
• What is Sobriety?
• Behavioral Counseling in Drug Abuse Treatment Centers
• Al-Anon And Nar-Anon Support Groups
• Narcotics Anonymous Support Groups
• Relapse Prevention

Celebrate Recovery Guidelines & Facts

Celebrate Recovery Lessons

Celebrate Recovery Small Group Guidelines

Celebrate Recovery Near Me Today

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Celebrate Recovery Statistics

Top 3 Celebrate Recovery Step Study FAQs

Growth of Celebrate Recovery Steps Program

Celebrate Recovery is expanding worldwide in churches, recovery houses, rescue missions, universities, and prisons. New Mexico was the first state to embrace Celebrate Recovery into its state prison system and now has Celebrate Recovery pods in all its state prisons. In August 2004, Celebrate Recovery was declared California’s state-approved substance abuse program for prisons. This is a unique and growing outreach opportunity for every Celebrate Recovery.

Celebrate Recovery 12 Steps and Biblical Comparisons

1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.

– I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.

For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Romans 7:18 NIV

2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

– For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.  Philippians 2:13 NIV

3. We decided to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.

– Therefore, I urge you, brothers, because of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.  Romans 12:1 NIV

4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

– Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.  Lamentations 3:40 NIV

5. We admitted to God, ourselves, and another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

– Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.   James 5:16a NIV

6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

– Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.  James 4:10 NIV

7. We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.

– If we confess our sins, he is faithful and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9 NIV

8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

– Do to others as you would have them do to you.  Luke 6:31 NIV

9. We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

– Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.  First, go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.  Matthew 5:23-24 NIV

10. We continued to take personal inventory and, when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

– So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  1 Corinthians 10:12

11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

– Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.  Colossians 3:16a NIV

12. Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we try to carry this message to others and practice these principles in all our affairs.

– Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore them gently.  But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.  Galatians 6:1 NIV

Celebrate Recovery’s Eight Recovery Principles

The Road to Recovery Based on the Beatitudes

1. Realize I’m not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable. (Step 1)

          “Happy are those who know that they are spiritually poor.”  Matthew 5:3a TEV

2. Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover.  (Step 2)

          “Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  Matthew 5:4 TEV, NIV

3. Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.  (Step 3)

          “Happy are the meek.”  Matthew 5:5a TEV

4. Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust.  (Steps 4 and 5)

          “Happy are the pure in heart.”  Matthew 5:8a TEV

5. Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.  (Steps 6 and 7)

          “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires”  Matthew 5:6a TEV

6. Evaluate all my relationships.  Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others when possible, except when to do so would harm them or others.  (Steps 8 and 9)

          “Happy are the merciful.”  Matthew 5:7a TEV;  “Happy are the peacemakers”  Matthew 5:9 TEV

7. Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.  (Steps 10 and 11)

8. Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and my words.  (Step 12)

          “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.”  Matthew 5:10 TEV

Why Should We Join Support Groups Such As Celebrate Recovery?

According to National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is a chronic disease similar to other chronic diseases such as type II diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Human investigations of addictive behaviors have connected both environmental and genetic influences and interactions between the two.  While genetics play a significant role in determining who we are, the environment in which we are raised is just as influential.  [2]

Provided that, participants of support groups will not be judged for their choices or actions because the other people in the support group have pledged to non-judgment and may have similar life experiences.  New group members can look to other members who have been able to make successful transitions.  The life of others can support the future goals of others by inspiring them to cope.

We Level Up New Jersey Support Group Programs

At We Level Up New Jersey, we firmly believe that the best chances of lifelong recovery are when clients are given the proper coping means.  But that is still only half of the fight against addiction and relapse; making those resources accessible plays a vital role in lifelong recovery.  As such, we are pleased to offer our treatment programs (individual counseling, group therapy, and 12-step program meetings that work as a support group like Celebrate Recovery) at the same facility.  This implies less headache and nuisance for our clients, who can spend more time concentrating on getting better.

Looking for Immediate Help?

Please speak with an Addiction Advisor today here at We Level Up NJ.

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Voluntarily testimonials from the We Level Up Treatment Center network vary. Not intended as a guaranteed treatment or outcome as each person's journey is unique.