For Sonya Chagnon of Ball Ground, Celebrate Recovery not only helped her overcome her addiction, it also gave her a new lease on life.

Mrs. Chagnon, a recovering alcoholic and self-mutilator, had been to other programs, but they didn't meet her needs.

"I wanted something that was Christ-based, but couldn't find anything," she said.

The same program she's paying homage to is expanding in Cherokee County to touch the lives of more people in need.

Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered weekly program that helps people deal with life's hurts, hang-ups and habits, has expanded into Scott Mill Chapel at Canton Adventist Church.

The national program was started 14 years ago by Saddleback Church in California to celebrate God's healing power.

The program was started in Cherokee County last year at Towne Lake Community Church by Canton residents Pete and Linda Thomas. Sixes United Methodist Church and Revolution Church also now conduct Celebrate Recovery meetings.

Thomas, Celebrate Recovery's ministry director, said meetings in the county average about 150 attendees each week.

When the program started in Towne Lake, Thomas said it had about 30 participants. He anticipates at least 50 people will attend Scott Mill Chapel's first meetings.

Thomas said the new site came about as he was looking for a place in the Canton area to have meetings. Todd Leonard, pastor at Canton Adventist, at the same time was researching starting a Celebrate Recovery program at his church.

"It was kind of a serendipitous moment," Leonard said.

Leonard said the program will be beneficial to the Canton area, as addiction continues to be a "chronic problem in our county." It will meet the needs, he said, of people who are "skeptical of traditional means of therapy" or cannot afford to seek professional help.

Thomas said the program remains popular because, it not only "builds community," but it also focuses on personal responsibility and is Christ-centered.

"It's an umbrella program that's effective in all of life's hang ups," he said.

The program is based on the eight recovery principles found in the Beatitudes, which came from Jesus during his Sermon on the Mount as recorded in the Book of Matthew, and a 12-step program based on Christian principles.

Each meeting includes a large group gathering and then breaks up into smaller groups for men and women. The meetings are free, and a meal is served to all who attend.

Mrs. Thomas said the program is popular because people are "looking for a way to get out of their addictions" and to embrace Jesus.

"They want something to fill a hole," she said.

The program also helped her fill a hole of personal tragedy. Mrs. Thomas's brother Glenn Turner was poisoned by his wife, Lynn Turner, who recently died while serving a life sentence after being convicted of using antifreeze to kill Turner and boyfriend Randy Thompson.

"I went through a lot of anger, rage and grief for years," she said.

Celebrate Recovery, she said, taught her to deal with her grief, and she eventually forgave Ms. Turner long before her death.

Learning to forgive, she said, is essential for those in the program to move on with their lives.

"You don't waste your entire life being angry over something that happened to you," she added.

Mrs. Chagnon, 42, said she's learned to let go of her anger as well. She's been participating in the program for about 10 months at Revolution Church in Canton.

She "felt lost" before entering the program. Now, she said, her marriage to her husband, Kyle, is strong, and her relationship with her children and family is thriving.

Her husband and children, Evan and Nikki, also participate in the program, and she said the family continues to make progress.

Her extended family is planning a reunion in December - the first time in six years her family has wanted to talk to or see her.

Mrs. Chagnon said the program is helping her understand that "you don't have to stay the way you are" and sometimes "we are our own worst enemies."

"You can still make mistakes, but God still loves you," she said. "Celebrate Recovery helps you know that people love and want to help you."