More and more people are becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol, as well as other things. Drugs and alcohol seem to be attracting people at younger ages and holding them well into adulthood. We see commercials for being drug free, and we all have heard of the twelve step programs like Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. As more people are getting addicted to drugs and alcohol, more people are seeking recovery somewhere. There is also a Christian addiction recovery program known as Celebrate Recovery.
Celebrate was established in 1991 by Pastor John Baker, who had the hopes of overcoming addictions with the twelve steps with a Christian outlook to them. Churches and some prisons have since implemented the program and have found much success. Celebrate Recovery stresses the "higher power" being Jesus Christ. Each other the twelve steps are also related to a certain verse within the Bible that those seeking recovery can use. There are also eight recovery principles that Pastor Rick Warren based on the beatitudes. The program also has a Celebrate Recovery Bible that it uses as well as a curriculum.
The Eight Principles are as follows which can be found on the Celebrate Recovery website.
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."
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 how mourn, for they shall be comforted."
Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's care and control. (Step 3) "Happy are the meek."
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."
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"
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." "Happy are the peacemakers"
Reserve a 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)
Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and my words. (Step 12)
Each of the principles as you can see relates to the twelve steps in some way. The basis is to admit we are powerless over the things in our lives, and that we need God to help us through the tough moments in life including addiction recovery. The steps and the principles help us to evaluate our lives and actions to effectively be able to remove the bad things in our lives and replace them with the good, including people. As we move down the steps and principles we work towards making life better not only for ourselves, but those around us. Then as you can see the final steps work towards spending time with God and living a life God would be proud of and to shine light onto the goodness of God's love.Celebrate Recovery can be a wonderful program if you are a Christian, and if you are struggling with faith and religion along with an addiction of any sort. It helps people find something they have been looking for while trying to overcome an addiction that may be controlling their lives. Celebrate Recovery is the perfect thing for any church that is looking for something to do to reach out to the community. There is more information on their website.
