Celebrate Recovery

The Eight Principles of Celebrate Recovery

Find freedom from hurts, hangups and habits.

The purpose of Celebrate Recovery is to become free from the hurts, hang-ups, and habits that follow us throughout our lives. This weekly confidential environment helps participants find freedom from addictive, compulsive, and dysfunctional behaviors. In turn, this freedom creates peace, serenity, and (most importantly) a stronger personal relationship with God and others.

If you want to find freedom from your situation(s), join us Monday nights at 7 p.m. at our Alamo Campus.

Based on the beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-10, these eight principles spell out recovery for those who apply them.

  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 in order 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

What is Celebrate Recovery?

Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered 12-step program designed for all “hurts, hangups, and habits,” including those caused by emotional, mental, and spiritual dysfunction. As one of the seven largest addiction recovery support programs, Celebrate Recovery is designed to be a confidential place where attendees can work through their “stuff” in a safe and God-honoring place.

Founded in 1991 by John Baker, a former staff member of Saddleback Church, the program has since been approved by the California Department of Corrections and is present in 10 countries around the world.