Have you just now entered recovery? Are you interested in checking out Celebrate Recovery? If you want to learn the top 30 benefits of Celebrate Recovery, this article will give you everything you need to know. Discover why you should attend today!!
As you work through your heartbreaking hurts, bad habits, and annoying hang-ups, you should consider joining a 12-step program like Celebrate Recovery or Alcoholics Anonymous. Celebrate Recovery is very similar to AA, but it is more spiritual in nature.
Did you know that Celebrate Recovery is a great place to meet like-minded individuals and gain a sense of community – something that is so helpful when you are going through recovery?
There are many benefits of going to Celebrate Recovery (CR), but one of the greatest benefits is truly the connection that you will make with God. Of course, working through the 12 steps and discovering new ways to recover are definitely other perks of going to a meeting.
Let’s explore the topic more!!
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What is Celebrate Recovery?
Celebrate Recovery is a 12-step recovery program for individuals who are experiencing hard times. If you have a hurt, bad habit, or hang-up, Celebrate Recovery can help. Of course, the program is also perfect for those who struggle with addiction, abuse, or alcoholism.
Celebrate Recovery is similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, but it centers around Christ. It is Biblically based. However, you are not required to be a Christian to enjoy the many perks of this program. It might strengthen your faith to attend a Celebrate Recovery meeting, though.
Celebrate Recovery Step Studies are a great way to deal with your issues on a deeper level. The CR meetings are usually a few hours long, but they usually offer a meal, a speaker, a small group gathering, and a time for praise and worship with music.
Find a Celebrate Recovery meeting near you to discover if CR is the right fit for you. Learn more about Celebrate Recovery in the article, What is Celebrate Recovery, and what is it NOT?
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. – Confucius
Who Can Go to Celebrate Recovery?
Anyone can go to Celebrate Recovery! Of course, if you have malicious intent, that is not the place for you. You do not want to go to Celebrate Recovery to meet your future spouse. It is not a place to look for dating partners or if you have no desire to quit your unhealthy habit.
If you have experienced loss, pain, hurts, or have bad habits or hang-ups, Celebrate Recovery is right for you. I cannot imagine anyone not having this kind of baggage, which is why I answer this question as “anyone.”
If you would like to read more on the subject of who can go to Celebrate Recovery and the types of specific areas that Celebrate Recovery helps with, check out this article: Who Can Go to Celebrate Recovery, and Who Can’t?
For where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them. – Matthew 18:20 (NIV)
The Top 30 Benefits of Celebrate Recovery
#1. Get a Chance to Be Yourself.
Do not pretend to be someone you aren’t. Celebrate Recovery is the right place to let your guard down and just be yourself. You can stop worrying about what other people think and just focus on your recovery for whatever hurt, hang-up, or habit you are trying to work on.
#2. Make New Friends.
You can make new friends at Celebrate Recovery because you are being yourself. You are being real and honest about who you are, so these are lasting connections. If you go to a CR Step Study, you will easily make spiritual friendships with people who will always be in your life.
#3. Share Your Experience.
Once you are ready, you can share your testimony with a group. You can also share whatever is hindering you at the moment in your small group. This allows you to help others who are experiencing the same thing or something similar.
#4. Learn Something New.
Usually, every other week a speaker talks about a recovery topic. Typically, in the other weeks, you are able to hear a testimony from someone who has overcome a struggle in their life. It might be related to drugs, or it could be the loss of a child. Go with an eager attitude to learn.
#5. Be Encouraged.
Listening to testimonies (others’ stories) can be quite moving. You might find that you are uplifted or encouraged by what others share in your small group, as well. Step Studies are the real place to grow and share, though. Also, don’t hesitate to share what you need to.
#6. Praise and Worship God.
During the large group portion of a Celebrate Recovery meeting, you will be able to praise God. There is usually singing and worship music that you can enjoy. Celebrate Recovery also recites the Serenity Prayer in the large group meetings.
Praise the Lord! Let all that I am praise the Lord. – Psalm 146:1 (NLT)
#7. Embrace Your Faith.
As you attend Celebrate Recovery meetings, don’t be surprised if you feel a stirring. You might really grow in your faith and feel God’s presence in your life as you attend meetings, get to know others, and work through the 12 steps of recovery.
#8. Discover New Coping Mechanisms.
As you learn new things at Celebrate Recovery meetings, you will likely discover new coping mechanisms – healthy ones that you had not tried before. This will help you with your addiction or unhealthy habit. You’ll also learn a ton from other people in recovery.
#9. Begin Your Road to Recovery.
You might first attend a Celebrate Recovery meeting with hesitation; everyone does at first! However, with time, you will begin to work on your recovery without even realizing it. You might not even know all of the things you need to work on until you hit a CR meeting!
#10. Learn New Ways to Get Involved.
At Celebrate Recovery, there are many opportunities to get involved with the recovery program. You can attend the large group, small group, dinner (if offered), step study classes, dessert (if offered), recovery events, and so much more! What a great way to spend your time!
#11. Understand Your Struggles Better.
This is a big one! As you attend Celebrate Recovery, you will begin to see new things in your life. For example, maybe you were harboring anger and resentment that you were not even aware of. Understanding these issues can truly help you!
Recovery is an acceptance that your life is in shambles and you have to change it. – Jamie Lee Curtis
#12. Expand Your Emotional Skills.
Skill-building is big during recovery! You will learn new things when others share their pain. Your listening and empathy skills will begin to grow, and you’ll blossom as a result of this! Why would you not want to grow as a person? It’s a perk that comes with the program!
#13. Have a Life-Changing Experience.
As you work through the 12 steps, you will likely begin to have a life-changing experience. You will grow as an individual and as a Christian! You will realize things that you didn’t know before. Your relationships will likely improve, and recovery will get easier with time.
#14. Express Yourself.
Celebrate Recovery is a great place to just express your feelings. As they say, tears are a way to heal. Of course, you are not required to cry, but you will certainly be moved by the testimony of others and by the things you learn about yourself!
Recovery is all about progression, not perfection. – Anonymous
#15. Gain Community.
Celebrate Recovery is its own community. Of course, no one is really excluded, but those in recovery are working on themselves, so they have a sort of bond with one another. It is a great place to meet others and embrace the things you are struggling with.
#16. Improve Your Social Skills.
If you suffer from social anxiety, there is no greater place to get started than Celebrate Recovery. Since you can be yourself, you are more likely to open up and meet new people. This will help you improve your social skills for other situations you face in life.
#17. Get the Opportunity to Help Others and/or Volunteer.
There are so many opportunities to get involved with Celebrate Recovery. CR meetings are often held at churches, and volunteer work is encouraged. As you need to replace your unhealthy habits with healthy ones, volunteering or helping others is a great start!
#18. Make Lasting Connections.
My lifelong friendships were developed in my Celebrate Recovery Step Study. It truly is a place to meet others who are going through similar struggles or to learn from those who are different from you! You can really make lasting connections during CR meetings!
#19. Gain Accountability.
Celebrate Recovery is an excellent place for accountability. You will meet people with time who can be your accountability partners. You’ll even learn about what a sponsor is and who is the right fit for you. These people will help you stay on track during your recovery.
#20. Rebuild Your Life.
As you work through your struggles, you will begin to rebuild your life. Are you having a tough time replacing bad habits with good ones? Your accountability team can help! Hearing testimonies and lessons on recovery topics can also help a great deal!
There’s no shame in starting again and rebuilding your life from scratch. It’s admirable.
#21. Celebrate Your Victories.
Celebrate Recovery, like AA, uses chips to celebrate your victories. What a joyous way to talk about the wins you have – even if they are only one day or one hour old! They still count, and you should be proud of them!
#22. Surrender Your Life to God.
If you decide to truly work through the 12 steps in recovery, you will want to embrace your faith or grow as a Christian. If you are a new Christian, you’ll likely discover a stirring in your heart that is life changing! You will realize that God’s love is always available and free!
#23. Discover New Recovery Resources.
Celebrate Recovery has its own Recovery Bible, a 365-Day CR Devotional, and a 12-Step Step Study Guides. These are all things that you can purchase now or will be given to you at a later date. You can possibly learn about even more resources the more you attend the meetings!
#24. Connect with Your Higher Power.
Wouldn’t you love to have a closer relationship with God? Maybe you have always longed to connect deeply with God. Celebrate Recovery is the perfect place to ignite the flame that lights up your spiritual life. So, head to a CR meeting to spark that fire today!!
I love Your sanctuary, Lord, the place where Your glorious presence dwells. – Psalm 26:8 (NLT)
#25. Reduce Stress, Worry, and Anxiety.
Believe it or not, sharing your troubles with others really does relieve stress. Hearing how others are going through similar circumstances or are struggling even more than you are is likely to really help your mood and stress, and anxiety levels.
#26. Know You are in a Safe Place.
Celebrate Recovery is a SAFE place – somewhere that you are free to share without receiving judgment or ridicule. You can be yourself and let that guard down. Imagine the opportunity of getting things off your chest that you are really struggling with!
#27. Learn How to Make Better Choices.
When you hear a testimony or recovery sermon, you are likely to learn something completely new! You will learn new ways to deal with your problems by just saying them out loud. This will give you a chance to turn things around and really make a difference in your choices.
#28. See Lasting Changes Happen.
What’s great about a 12-step recovery group is the chance you have to see lasting changes in your life and in the lives of those around you. If you participate in a CR Step Study, you will walk through all twelve steps over the course of many months or in a year even!
#29. Step Outside Your Comfort Zone.
While going to church can be a great choice, it is often hard to attend services when you are going through trouble. You might feel safe in your comfort zone, but you are not really coming out of your shell when you listen to a sermon. CR is a wonderful place to really open up!
#30. Support Those Who are Struggling.
While you may focus mostly on your own recovery, you have the opportunity to help those around you by just sharing in groups. If you talk about your struggles, you might motivate someone else to share something similar that is affecting them deeply!
Recovery is something you have to work on every single day, and it’s something that doesn’t get a day off. – Demi Lovato
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Celebrate Recovery good?
As you can probably tell from the content provided in this article, we are big fans of Celebrate Recovery! It is a very successful program for many people. It is certainly worth checking out if you are going through a rough period, have a bad habit, or are working through an addiction.
What can I expect at Celebrate Recovery?
At Celebrate Recovery, you can expect people to welcome you, but it is important to realize they are all working through their own issues and baggage. Be sure to let someone know you are new and wish to learn more about the program and how it works.
What should you not do in recovery?
When you are recovering, you should try to steer clear of individuals or situations (if possible) that endanger your sobriety. Keep busy through activities like crafts, praying, studying the Bible, attending recovery meetings, making new friends in recovery, or finding a new healthy hobby.
Is Celebrate Recovery Biblical?
Yes, Celebrate Recovery is a Bible-based program. You will find the 8 Principles of Celebrate Recovery are based on the Beatitudes in Matthew of the New Testament of the Bible. You do not have to be a Christian to attend Celebrate Recovery, but expect God to change you!
How do you keep yourself busy during recovery?
Staying busy during recovery is smart. You should consider adopting a new hobby, rescuing a pet at an animal shelter, volunteering your time, and going to recovery meetings. Some easy ways to volunteer include helping the homeless, knitting for charity (keeps those hands busy), and writing letters to soldiers!
Conclusion
Now, you have the top 30 benefits of going to Celebrate Recovery. We hope that you learned something new and are encouraged to attend a meeting near you or, if the opportunity presents itself, online!
If you are interested in a CR Step Study, be sure to check out our CR Lessons! There are additional recovery guides for FREE in our Shop!
Do you currently go to CR meetings? Will you continue attending one, even if it is just to support someone else? Tell us about your experience with Celebrate Recovery! We’d truly love to hear about your recovery journey!!
It’s going to get harder before it gets easier, but with time, it will get better! Be patient, Little One!
