Celebrate Recovery is a recovery program aimed at all "hurts, habits, and hang-ups", including but not exclusive to: high anxiety; co-dependency; compulsive behaviors; sex addiction; financial dysfunction; drug and alcohol addictions; and eating disorders. Celebrate Recovery is one of the seven largest addiction recovery support group programs. Promotional materials assert that over 5 million people have participated in a Celebrate Recovery step study in over 35,000 churches Approximately two-thirds of these participants are in recovery for something other than drugs or alcohol. Leaders seek to normalize substance abuse as similar to other personal problems common to all people.
Methods
Celebrate Recovery uses both the 12 steps developed by Alcoholics Anonymous and a very similar set of eight sequential principles that are understood as a lesson of Jesus' Beatitudes. In addition to issue non-specific large group gatherings and individual mentoring, Celebrate Recovery encourages participants to form a small group of "Accountability Partners" who all have the same problem and support one another closely. Celebrate Recovery groups are held under the management of local church organizations. A study of Celebrate Recovery participants found that levels of spirituality were associated with greater confidence to resist substance use. Celebrate Recovery has not been significantly studied, so there is no empirical evidence regarding the impacts or efficacy of the Celebrate Recovery program.
History
John Baker was an alcoholic and staff member of Saddleback Church who began healing through Alcoholics Anonymous. He wanted a specifically Christianaddiction recovery group, so with the support of Rick Warren, Celebrate Recovery began as a ministry of Saddleback Church under Baker's leadership in 1991. John Baker continues to be the primary author of The Celebrate Recovery curriculum and materials.
The name Celebrate Recovery is a registered trademark of John Baker, and the national Celebrate Recovery organization requires that groups using this name hold closely to a standardized format. They may not use resources outside of the Bible and authorized Celebrate Recovery curriculum materials. Group facilitators must be trained and agree to a list of expectations, including standardized guidelines at each meeting.
