10 Ways to Best Help Your Celebrate Recovery Spouse

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Learn to walk through the 12 steps of Celebrate Recovery with your spouse or another loved one who is in need of this Christian recovery group. First, if you are new to Celebrate Recovery, learn the basics of this 12-step program so that you can be well-informed to answer questions.

Each of the links listed in the “Basics of Celebrate Recovery” (below) will educate you further on how to best teach someone else how to navigate the 12 steps. They are each written by this author and meant to teach you further about the Celebrate Recovery program for your spouse.

As you further explore the website, sharinglifeandlove.com, you will come across many articles on praying for your spouse, how to improve your marriage with a free worksheet, and how I love my husband in unusual ways. Enjoy the website, take your time reading, and help your spouse!

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The Basics of Celebrate Recovery

In case you’ve never heard of Celebrate Recovery or have questions about the 12-step program, here are the basics of CR (Celebrate Recovery):

What is Celebrate Recovery? What is It Not? – Learn the ins and outs of what Celebrate Recovery is, and discover what it is not, like, it is not a place to find a date.
Who Can Attend Celebrate Recovery Meetings? – You will be surprised at the answer to this question. Do you have any hurts, bad habits, or anything hanging you up? Go!
Why Celebrate Recovery? (The Top Benefits) – Discover the benefits of Celebrate Recovery. Enjoy this encouragement to go to a CR meeting today!
All About the Serenity Prayer – This beautiful and popular prayer is recited and memorized by those in 12-step programs. Learn more about it today.
The Celebrate Recovery 8 Principles – The CR 8 Principles correspond with the 12 steps of recovery. They are Biblically based, however.
A Celebrate Recovery Step Study – Celebrate Recovery meetings are a great way to start the program, but it is in CR Step Studies where true growth occurs.
Start the Celebrate Recovery Lessons: Lesson 1 Denial – If you would like to run through the 25 lessons that correspond with the 12-step program, begin here.
Start the Celebrate Recovery 12 Steps: CR Step 1 – Learn more about the 12 steps as you walk through each article based on each step. This will get you started.
Frequently Asked Questions About Celebrate Recovery Answered – Do you still have questions about Celebrate Recovery? This article will answer most of them!

How to Help Your Spouse with Celebrate Recovery

Learn the 10 best ways to help your spouse with the 12-step program called Celebrate Recovery. You can try any Christian recovery program that follows the 12 steps, but I just know that Celebrate Recovery has a great track record and is found all over the United States.

It’s always better when we’re together. – Jack Johnson

#1. Love and Pray for Your Spouse.

When you respond to your spouse in a loving manner, he or she will be more likely to be receptive to what you have to say. Don’t say, “You need recovery! That’s a bit demanding and does not sound loving at all. Consider how you would like to be spoken to before you speak.

Another dynamite tactic is to pray your little heart out about this matter. Ask the Lord to intervene and speak through you with words that will resonate with your spouse. Get a prayer journal, and write about your worries and ask how to best alleviate any concerns you have.

#2. Offer Non-Judgmental Open Communication.

It’s very important not to be judgmental of your spouse. They are likely to resist your advice to go to Celebrate Recovery or another 12-step recovery program if you are forceful and demanding. Instead, listen attentively to their needs to see how you can best help.

Related: How to Listen Better

#3. Avoid Enabling Their Behavior.

This can be a difficult one to follow, especially when you love the person deeply and only want the best for them. You want to give them the best, but sometimes that directly clashes with what they need in recovery for your spouse.

An example would be that your spouse overeats. Someone stops by your house, bringing sweets as a small celebration. Do you take the sweets away when you know those are your spouse’s favorites and perhaps embarrass them?

Or would you enable them to eat anything they want to in front of other people? An alternative choice, “How sweet of you! Unfortunately, we don’t eat sweets due to George’s diabetes. Could you pass them along to someone else in need? Thank you.”

“When you put your arms around me, you let me know there’s nothing in this world I can’t do.” — Keith Urban

#4. Educate Yourself About Celebrate Recovery.

Many links were provided at the beginning of this article to get you acquainted with the Celebrate Recovery 12-step program. Learn about it so that you can properly and accurately tell your spouse what CR is all about and how it might be able to help him or her.

Did you know that ANYONE can go to Celebrate Recovery meetings? If your spouse does not have an addiction or compulsive behavior, CR still has much to offer. That’s because they help anyone with a hurt, bad habit, or hangup. Does that not include every single one of us?

#5. Avoid the Blame Game.

It can be so easy to live with someone who won’t get help and blame them for everything that is wrong in your life. However, you are likely not going to get positive results if you blame your spouse for all of your problems. It’s actually not very fair to play the blame game, so avoid it.

#6. Suggest Couples Counseling.

For some people, going to a 12-step meeting like Celebrate Recovery can be intimidating. This is especially true for introverts who like to be in one-on-one conversations but hate crowds. If that is the case, you might want to find a great Christian counselor for both of you.

#7. Be Supportive and Patient.

Being supportive of a spouse in recovery can be quite the challenge, especially if you have tolerated years of their poor behavior or bad habits. That is where patience comes in. Take this as an opportunity to work on your patience, as you are supportive of your recovering spouse.

#8. Offer Forgiveness and Mean It.

When someone does something wrong to us, it can be difficult to forgive and let it go.

Always set healthy boundaries so that you do not get taken advantage of by the same person in the same way.
Keep your prayer life honest. After all, God knows your thoughts before you do!
Pray for the special person in your life. This will help rid the bitterness and anything else they might have going on, which are things preventing their recovery.

#9. Be a Good Example.

If you wish to have Celebrate Recovery for your spouse, the best thing you can do is be an example as a good Christian. Show your spouse how Celebrate Recovery works, how you participate in it, and just basic principles like prayer, reading the Bible, and how to be saved.

When he or she sees how the 12-step program works in your life, they will get curious and wonder what it can do for your life. Wouldn’t it be amazing to bring someone new to church and show them that the way to eternal life is through a relationship with Christ our Lord?

Related: How to Pray for Beginners

Related: How to Go to Church

#10. Attend Meetings Together.

If you are excited about Celebrate Recovery for your spouse, go with them so that they know at least one person there – you! Plus, along their journey to recovery, they will meet accountability partners and a sponsor who can more deeply support them.

Every love story is beautiful, but mine is my favorite. – Unknown

Celebrate Recovery Spouse Advice

Remember that your spouse was created by God. They have their own traits, personalities, talents, gifts, etc. Therefore, we are all different because God made us that way. When you want to criticize your spouse about going to Celebrate Recovery, think about your love for them.

Also, if you enjoy spending time with your spouse, remember that a Celebrate Recovery spouse is a busy one. Depending on how involved they are in CR, they could go to meetings one or more times a week, step studies, training sessions, and more.

A Celebrate Recovery spouse is probably not going to have time for you as they once did, especially if your spouse commits completely to the program. Keep in mind that you wanted a Celebrate Recovery spouse – someone willing to get help. Be proud of them most of all.

Learn about the CR program before encouraging your spouse to join. Make sure it is right for your family. There aren’t any “dangers of Celebrate Recovery,” but your lifestyle and priorities could easily change in a short amount of time. Assess together what is most important to you.

Conclusion

If your spouse is in Celebrate Recovery, it can be a challenge, but this article has many ways that you can help your Celebrate Recovery spouse with additional reading, depending on the topic. Do you have a spouse in CR? Do you wish you did? We’d love to hear about it!!

My heart is and always will be yours. – Jane Austen