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A systematic process for healing hurts, exploring and discovering hang ups, and replacing habits with new tools to deal with life’s trials and struggles through the Christ centered 12 steps and 8 Principles. Recovery is not just about stopping unhealthy habits and behaviors, it’s also about starting new healthy habits that lead to healing.

Open Share Groups:

• Weekly handouts that coincide with the large group lessons are provided.
• Each week a ‘Focus Question’ is answered. 
• Each week you will share your struggles and victories from your area of recovery.
• Do Not close to additional participants.
• When offered, these are issue specific groups.
• Gender specific
• Follow the five small group guidelines

Step Study Groups:

Step Study Groups are gender specific groups for people ready to delve deeper into their hurts, hang-ups and habits.

• Have a 1 year commitment
• Have 4 workbooks that go through the 12 Steps and 8 Principles. 
• Each week questions from the workbook will be shared, 
• questions must be completed before the group begins.
• High level of accountability
• Not issue specific. This group consists of all types of recovery issues.
• Weekly attendance is vital.
• Closes from adding additional participants after workbook 1 is completed. This ensures the group's safety in regards to vulnerability.
• Follow the five small group guidelines

1.  Keep your sharing focused on your own thoughts and feelings. Please limit your sharing to 3-5 minutes. When you hear the timer sound, you will have one minute to wrap up your thoughts.

• Please use “I” statements. Celebrate Recovery focuses on our personal responsibility.  Avoid saying “they”, “them”, “you”, “we”, etc.. Focus on your own thoughts and feelings. We don’t use names when referencing interactions with others.

WHY? This is your recovery journey. By focusing on others' needs and problems we avoid our own issues.

2.  There will be no cross-talk, please. 

• Cross-talk is any form of communication between participants while someone is sharing. Simply put, we listen without speaking. Each person is free to express their feelings without interruptions. 
• Please refrain from writing during someone’s sharing. Phones should be silenced and put away during small group time. 

WHY? Other members may fear their sharing is not of value. Some have never been heard or had a voice before, we want to encourage their sharing.

3.  We are here to support one another. We will not attempt to fix one another.

• Participants will not offer others unsolicited advice or suggestions. Advice giving and feedback on sharing is prohibited before, during and after group.
• If a participant desires support with a struggle, it is their responsibility to seek out another's experience, strength, and hope. The purpose of having a sponsor and accountability partners is for support in your area(s) of recovery. 

WHY? Again, we are here for our own healing. Trying to fix others takes focus away from our own issues and others can feel unsafe to share in the group.

4.  Anonymity and confidentiality are basic requirements. What is shared in the group, stays in the group. The only exception is when someone threatens to injure themselves or others.

• This guideline is what keeps our small groups safe. What is shared in a group is not to be shared with anyone. This includes spouses, friends, or other participants. 
• Who we see at Celebrate Recovery is not to be shared. Period. 
• If a participant indicates they may hurt themselves or another, the leader will follow the protocol they learned in their training. 

WHY? Members may fear sharing  if they feel they can't trust other members of the group.

 5.  Offensive language has no place in a Christ-centered recovery group. This includes graphic descriptions.  

• If anyone feels uncomfortable with how specifically a speaker is sharing, you may indicate so by simply raising your

          hand. The speaker will then respect your boundaries by being less specific in his/her descriptions. 

• If there are details a participant needs to share with a leader or sponsor, we encourage him/her to do so privately.  

WHY? If a participant shares too many details about their addictive behavior or abuse, other group members could be triggered.

• Listen attentively to others when they share. You will learn from others as they share, and they will learn as you share. We are beginning to work on our hurts, habits, and hang-ups. They didn’t happen overnight and they won’t go away overnight. Be patient with yourself.
• In order to gain the full benefit of this program, weekly attendance is vital. 
• Each week we share a ‘Focus Question’ and share our victories and struggles for the week. 
• There are to be no catalogs distributed for a home business or party. No announcements or discussion during class time about such businesses. Our focus is on recovery. 
• There will be no food in our small group. This has been used by some as a coping mechanism. We want to avoid participants reaching for a fix. 
• Phones must be silenced and put away or turned off so participants are not distracted.
• No children are permitted in the room at any time. 
• We will start our group on time. If you are running late, please come in quietly and have a seat. You will not be acknowledged. If someone is in the middle of sharing they shouldn’t be interrupted. 
• If you’re a follower of Jesus, please introduce yourself in the traditional Celebrate Recovery way, “Hi, my name is ______. I am a believer who struggles with ________.” By introducing ourselves in this way it keeps us out of denial and helps us remember our identity is in Christ, not our addiction. 
• Once the group is prayed out you are free to chat and connect with one another.   

• There is a high level of accountability with this step study group. We are beginning to work on our hurts, habits, and hang-ups and this is to be taken seriously. They didn’t happen overnight and they won’t go away overnight. 
• In order to gain the full benefit of this program, weekly attendance is vital. You will receive a completion chip if you complete each step to the best of your ability, which includes the completion of step 4 (inventory) and step 5.
• Each week we will review the questions in the workbooks. The questions must be completed before class begins. There will be no writing in our books once the class begins. This may communicate to the person who is sharing that you are not interested in what they are saying, or that you may be writing down something they have shared. We want to make our group safe. Please focus all your attention on the person sharing.
• If you are absent, please complete your answers and share with your accountability partner or sponsor prior to our next meeting. We must work on all the steps and lessons.
• If you come to class and you have not completed your homework you will not be able to join in the sharing time. We want you to have the time to pray and meditate on the answers and allow God to work the healing process prior to class.
• This group consists of many recovery specific issues. Don’t be discouraged. You will hear things that you can relate to instantly, other things you may not relate to. Hearing about other issues may shed some light on what a spouse or family member may be thinking or feeling.
• There are to be no catalogs distributed for a home business or party. No announcements or discussion during class time about such businesses. Our focus is on recovery. 
• There will be no food in our small group. This has been used by some as a coping mechanism. We want to avoid participants reaching for a fix. 
• Phones must be silenced and put away or turned off so participants are not distracted.
• No children are permitted in the room at any time. 
• We will start our group on time. If you are running late, please come in quietly and have a seat. You will not be acknowledged. If someone is in the middle of sharing they shouldn’t be interrupted.  
• When we begin sharing the questions out of the workbooks, we will start on the left and go around the circle. If you are a follower of Jesus, please introduce yourself in the traditional Celebrate Recovery way, “Hi, my name is ____________. I am a believer who struggles with ___________.” By introducing ourselves in this way, it keeps us out of denial and helps us remember our identity is in Christ, not our addiction. 
• Once the group is prayed out you are free to chat and connect with one another.    

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 made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God. | “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view 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 honest 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, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our hurts, hang-ups and habits. | “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 just 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 whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. | “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there 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 NIV
11.  We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us, and 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

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) | “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 NIV
2. Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him and that He has the power to help me recover. (Step 2) | “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 NIV
3. Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (Step 3) | “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5 NIV
4. Openly examine and confess my hurts, hang-ups and habits to myself, to God, and to someone I trust. (Steps 4 and 5) | Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8 NIV
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) | “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6 NIV
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) | “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7 NIV | “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9 NIV
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) | “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10 NIV

In Celebrate Recovery, a sponsor and an accountability partner both play crucial roles in recovery, but their functions differ. A sponsor has completed the Celebrate Recovery eight principles and 12 steps and guides individuals through the recovery process, offering support and sharing their own experiences. An accountability partner is someone who provides support and encouragement, holding you accountable for specific actions and behaviors related to your recovery journey, and they may or may not have completed the principles and steps.

Celebrate Recovery was founded in 1991 as a ministry of Saddleback Church by Pastor John and Cheryl Baker. John shared with Senior Pastor Rick Warren a vision God had given him for a new Christ-centered ministry where people could find freedom from their hurts, hang-ups, and habits.

The first night 43 people attended, and Celebrate Recovery was born with only four Open Share Groups — Men’s and Women’s Chemical Dependency, and Men’s and Women’s Co-Dependency. Over the years, thousands of people have gone through the program at Saddleback Church. Many of them have gone on to serve in Celebrate Recovery and other areas of the church. 

Thousands of churches have started a Celebrate Recovery ministry around the world, and that number continues to grow. Celebrate Recovery is not just growing in churches, but in recovery houses, rescue missions, universities, and prisons around the world. It continues to be a growing global movement. 

The need for Celebrate Recovery is unmistakable, being a safe place for people to find freedom from the issues controlling their lives.

A tool is a new behavior that is incorporated into our life to address our character defects and better the quality of our lives. Tools help us build healthier habits and give us healthy ways to cope with/in difficult situations. God uses tools in our life to help us help ourselves. 

• Attending Meetings Regularly
• Step Study / Open Share
• Prayer
• Reciting the Serenity Prayer
• Bible Reading
• Knowing the 12 Steps and 8 Principles
• Devotionals
• Meditation or quiet time
• Deep Breathing / Breathing Exercises
• Journaling/Writing
• Reaching out to accountability Partners/ Sponsor
• Doing a daily inventory
• Music
• Serving/Giving Back
• Avoiding High-risk People, Places, and Things
• Having an Action Plan: Any Change To Improve Our Nature. 
• Having a Safe Place
• Pausing