When I went to a Celebrate Recovery meeting, I wasn’t sure what I was looking for. I had already tried the traditional 12-step programs. I’d sat in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, nodding along but feeling like something essential was missing.
I wasn’t just dealing with addictions and compulsive behaviors. I was battling a fractured spirit, the weight of family dysfunction, and a gaping hole where my faith used to be.
That’s where Celebrate Recovery hit differently. The 12 Steps Celebrate Recovery program isn’t just a rebranded AA. It’s rooted in scripture, pointed straight at the heart of Christ, and it reminded me that my higher power had a name, Jesus Christ.
Prior to ever finding out about Celebrate Recovery, when all I could think about was my next fix, I finally hit my rock bottom. I couldn’t stop using and I needed help. Luckily, I found Changes Healing Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
When I first walked through the doors at Changes Healing Center, I was desperate. I had run out of lies, out of options, and honestly, out of hope. I didn’t know if treatment would work, but I knew my way wasn’t. That place became the ground zero of my sobriety. It was where I finally began to untangle the chaos and hear something I hadn’t in a long time. I finally heard some truth.
The counselors there didn’t just talk to me about addiction; they walked with me through it. And most importantly, they helped me realize I didn’t have to do it alone.
That first brave step of getting help set off a chain reaction in my life. It’s what eventually led me to Celebrate Recovery. If I hadn’t gone to Changes Healing Center I wouldn’t have known how deeply I needed not just sobriety, but healing. Real healing. The kind that goes beyond behavior and touches the soul.
Changes Healing Center gave me the tools to survive. Celebrate Recovery gave me a place to grow, to worship, to rebuild my life around Jesus. It was at the crossroads of treatment and faith where I finally found freedom.
Let’s get into the 12 steps. These are the bones of the Celebrate Recovery ministry. You might recognize the shape of them from AA or NA, but each one here is paired with a biblical comparison that adds flesh, breath, and something eternal.
These steps aren’t just about recovery, they’re about true healing and learning to let Christ dwell in places we thought were too far gone.
“We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.”
A biblical comparison comes from Romans 7:18: “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.”
This one cracked my pride in half. I had to stop pretending. My life wasn’t just messy, it was wrecked. No amount of hustle or hiding could fix it. I was drowning and needed rescue.
“We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”
Here is a biblical comparison from Philippians 2:13: “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”
This step was where I met the true higher power, Jesus. I’d heard His name all my life, but here, I encountered His God’s mercy in a way that restored my hope.
“We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.”
And a biblical comparison from Romans 12:1: “Therefore, I urge you…to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”
Here’s where it stopped being theory. I didn’t just “believe.” I surrendered. I let Him into the mess of my daily life. That decision continues to change me.
“We made a fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”
Here is a biblical comparison from Lamentations 3:40: “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.”
Hardest thing I ever did. I looked at the wreckage. I examined every secret, every sin, every wound. My personal inventory didn’t lie. But neither did God’s grace.
“We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”
The 5th step has a biblical comparison from James 5:16: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
Saying it out loud felt like vomiting poison. But healing only starts when you stop hiding.
“We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character…”
And has a biblical comparison from James 4:10: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
I held onto so many things because they made me feel strong, but they were all my shortcomings. When I laid them down, I found peace.
“…We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.”
Here another biblical comparison from 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
This wasn’t a one-time prayer. It was (and still is) a daily rhythm of surrender.
“We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.”
With a biblical comparison from Luke 6:31: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
Some names came easy. Others, I had buried deep. But I knew if I wanted real freedom, I had to be honest.
“We made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.”
The 9th Step benefits from a biblical comparison derived from Matthew 5:23-24: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and…remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there…first go and be reconciled.”
I was scared to face such people, but I did. Not everyone forgave me, but I found peace in doing my part.
“We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.”
Step 10 draws a biblical comparison from 1 Corinthians 10:12: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”
Recovery isn’t a straight line. I still mess up. But I’ve learned to catch it early and own it fast. That’s what standing firm really means.
“We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry it out.”
Step 11 benefits from a biblical comparison to Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”
This step turned my recovery into relationship. It’s not about rules; it’s about Christ being in me, guiding each day.
“Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we try to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”
Finally, a biblical comparison from Galatians 6:1 sheds light on Step 12: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.”
I found my calling here. I get to serve in recovery ministries, share my story, and watch others step into true higher power Jesus Christ.
It’s not just a program. It’s a movement. It is a Christ-centered community for people like me. People stuck in cycles of pain, shame, and silence. Whether you’re coming out of addiction, battling depression, struggling with hang ups and habits, or just feeling stuck in life’s issues, there’s space for you here to heal from sinful nature.
I’ve seen Celebrate Recovery work inside rescue missions, recovery houses, and church basements. I’ve seen men and women break free from the grip of compulsive behaviors, and I’ve watched Jesus meet people in the rawest moments of their lives.
It was founded by John Baker, a man who knew firsthand what it meant to be broken and redeemed. He didn’t just bring another recovery option. What he brought is a path to the true higher power, the one who restores, redeems, and rebuilds.
I still wrestle with things. I’m still recovering. I still have hang ups. But I’m not doing it alone. Celebrate Recovery gave me more than tools, it gave me hope. It gave me Jesus. And in Him, I’m finding new strength, new purpose, and a new way to live.
Even scientific literature strongly supports the notion that spirituality and religiousness play a huge role in healing. According to this study on spirituality and its effect on recovery, it has been proven that those who are active spiritually have a much better chance at sustained sobriety.
If you’re wondering whether this is for you, let me be clear: it is. There’s room at the table. There’s a place for your pain. And there’s a Savior who’s not afraid of your mess. You don’t have to clean up first. Just come.
If you’re where I was, broken, exhausted, unsure if anything can ever really change, please hear me. Changes Healing Center was the lifeline that pulled me out. I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. They didn’t just help me detox. They helped me start over.
And in that vulnerable, scary beginning, they pointed me toward something greater than myself. That first call, that first intake, was the start of everything God’s doing in my life today.
I know making the choice to get help can feel impossible. But I’m living proof that it’s worth it. If you’re tired of the cycle, if you’re ready to find something real, call Changes Healing Center. It’s not just about getting clean. It’s about finding a life that’s finally worth living.
And if you’re open, it might just lead you to something even more powerful. Just as it led me to Celebrate Recovery and the healing only Christ can give.
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