What Is Celebrate Recovery?

A Christ-Centered Approach to Healing and Freedom

When addiction, trauma, or life’s painful patterns get hold of you, finding a path to healing that lines up with your faith can be life-changing. Many who come to Celebrate Recovery feel broken and hurting, seeking hope and restoration from emotional and spiritual wounds.

For lots of us, Celebrate Recovery is that path: a Christ-centered addiction program that’s not just to help people stop bad behaviors but to find true freedom through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what Celebrate Recovery is, how it works, and why it’s different from secular recovery programs. The program is designed to help individuals heal from life’s hurts, habits, and hang-ups through biblical principles.

Whether you’re looking into faith-based recovery for yourself or someone you love, this article will give you a clear and compassionate picture of what to expect.

The History of Celebrate Recovery

From its beginning in 1991 at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, Celebrate Recovery has grown into a global movement. It was founded by Pastor John Baker, a man who had experienced the healing power of both Alcoholics Anonymous and his Christian faith, but saw a need for a program that fully integrated the two.

Baker submitted a 13-page proposal to Pastor Rick Warren with a vision: a recovery program based entirely on the Bible, not just loosely spiritual in nature. Pastor Warren loved the idea, and within a year, Celebrate Recovery launched with 43 people.

Today, it’s a global movement with over 35,000 churches hosting Celebrate Recovery groups around the world.

What Makes Celebrate Recovery Different?

At its core Celebrate Recovery is a Christian 12-step alternative that offers a safe and supportive environment for anyone struggling with hurts, habits and hang-ups—whether it’s a specific habit, a particular hang up or broader struggles. It’s not just for people battling drug or alcohol addiction. It’s for anyone dealing with:

Codependency
Pornography or sexual addiction
Eating disorders
Childhood trauma
Anger
Control issues
Anxiety and depression
Family dysfunction
Mental health
Grief
And more

Unlike secular programs, Celebrate Recovery doesn’t leave the concept of a “higher power” open-ended. It clearly defines Jesus Christ as the source of healing and the foundation of recovery. This Christ-centered focus resonates deeply with believers looking for a recovery process grounded in biblical truth.

The 8 Principles and the 12 Steps: A Biblical Foundation

Celebrate Recovery is structured around two core frameworks: the 12 Steps of Recovery and the eight principles based on the Beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). The eight principles form a very similar set to the 12 Steps, providing a parallel structure and purpose within the recovery process.

While the 12 Steps may be familiar from programs like AA, Celebrate Recovery reinterprets them through a distinctly Christian lens, using biblical comparisons to explicitly link each step and principle to specific Bible verses.

The 8 Principles

These principles are tied to Scripture and walk participants through a process of spiritual transformation. Here’s a brief overview:

I’m not God. Admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing. (“Blessed are the poor in spirit…” – Matthew 5:3)
God exists, I matter to Him and He has the power to help me recover. (Matthew 5:4)
I choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (Matthew 5:5)
I openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God and to someone I trust. (Matthew 5:8)
I voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life. (Matthew 5:6)
I evaluate all my relationships. Forgive those who’ve hurt me and make amends where possible. (Matthew 5:7, 9)
I reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading and prayer. (Matthew 5:10)
I yield myself to God to bring this Good News to others by example and my words. (Matthew 5:10)

The 12 Steps (with Scripture)Celebrate Recovery’s 12 Steps mirror those of AA but each is paired with a corresponding verse. For example:

Step 1: “We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.” (Romans 7:18)
Step 3: “We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.” (Romans 12:1)
Step 9: “We made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.” (Luke 6:31)

This scriptural grounding makes Celebrate Recovery a truly faith-based recovery model, not just “spiritual” or moral.

Celebrate Recovery Program

At the heart of the Celebrate Recovery program is a commitment to a Christ-centered ministry where people can find real hope and healing. Unlike many recovery programs, Celebrate Recovery is built on eight sequential principles, known as the Eight Recovery Principles, which are based on the teachings of Jesus from the Beatitudes. These principles guide people through every stage of their recovery journey, offering a clear path to spiritual growth and lasting change.

Celebrate Recovery addresses a wide range of struggles from addiction and compulsive behaviors to emotional pain and unhealthy patterns. By focusing on these eight recovery principles, people are encouraged to take honest steps towards healing, supported by a loving community and the power of faith.

This approach not only helps people break free from addiction but also empowers them to grow spiritually and find new purpose in life. Through this Christ-centered ministry, many people have found hope, restoration, and a new direction.

Step Studies

Step Studies are a key part of the Celebrate Recovery program, where people can go deeper into their recovery journey. These groups meet on a different night than the main Celebrate Recovery meetings, so people can focus on intentional work through the Christ-centered 12 steps and Biblical principles.

Led by experienced leaders who have walked the path themselves, Step Studies provide a structured and supportive environment where people can examine the root causes of their struggles and begin to experience true transformation.

One of the unique things about Step Studies is that they are gender specific, so it’s a safe place to share and grow. People are encouraged to open up about their experiences, reflect on their past, and invite God into every part of their healing process.

By working through the material together, group members build trust and accountability and deepen their relationship with God and with each other. For many, this is where the biggest breakthroughs happen, so Step Studies are a key part of the Celebrate Recovery program.

Open Share Groups

Open Share Groups are the foundation of the Celebrate Recovery program, a safe and confidential place to share struggles and victories. After the Large Group session, people break into these smaller gender specific groups, which are often also issue-specific (substance abuse, codependency, anger, etc.) This allows people to connect with others who truly get what they’re going through and feel a sense of belonging and support.

In Open Share Groups, people can speak openly about their journey without fear of judgment. The atmosphere is supportive, people listen deeply, and encourage each other. By sharing their stories and hearing from other people realize they’re not alone in their struggles. These groups are where many find the community and accountability they need to keep moving forward in recovery. The relationships built in Open Share Groups often become a source of strength and hope throughout the recovery process.

What to Expect

Celebrate Recovery meets at scheduled times and locations, a consistent and supportive environment. Celebrate Recovery meetings follow a consistent format that provides structure and safety for participants. Here’s what a typical evening looks like:

Large Group – Worship, lesson, or testimony, and general overview of the program.
Open Share Groups – Gender specific small groups to share struggles or progress confidentially
Step Studies – Weekly small group studies that go deeper into each of the 12 Steps and 8 Principles, often several months long.

These meetings are held in churches, recovery houses, rescue missions, and not clinical settings, so they are accessible and inviting. Leaders are often individuals who have walked the path of recovery themselves and have completed the program.

Celebrate Recovery vs AA: The Main Differences

While both AA and Celebrate Recovery follow the 12-Step model and offer group-based healing there are key differences:

Celebrate Recovery vs Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

Jesus Christ is the named Higher Power

“Higher Power” is intentionally undefined

Based on Scripture and the Beatitudes

Based on moral and spiritual principles

Offered in churches and led by lay leaders

Offered in various locations, often secular

Focuses on all types of hurts and hang-ups

Primarily focused on addiction to substances

Encourages a personal relationship with Jesus

Encourages spiritual growth, undefined

If you’re looking for a Christ-centered addiction program that speaks to your values, Celebrate Recovery offers a biblically grounded, grace-filled process that meets you right where you are.

Is Celebrate Recovery for You?

One of the strengths of Celebrate Recovery is that it meets people in all stages of life and struggle. It’s not just for those in crisis—it’s for anyone who wants to break free from cycles of pain and step into a life marked by peace, purpose, and a deeper connection with God.

You don’t have to be a “church person” to attend. Many participants start their healing journey through Celebrate Recovery and come to faith along the way. Others find it to be the bridge that brings their faith back to life after years of struggle.

Our Service Offers the Next Step to Faith-Based Recovery

If you or a loved one is looking for a Christian 12-step alternative—something more than just behavior change, something rooted in Christ—Celebrate Recovery could be the first step.

Whether you’re dealing with addiction, trauma, or another struggle, the program invites you into a community of people walking towards healing with honesty, hope, and grace.