Congregations customize AA-style programs.(The Dallas Morning News)

Byline: Toni Weingarten

DALLAS _ Phil Southan, 45, started using drugs when he was 12 and went on to become a crack addict. He spent all the money he made at work on drugs, choosing to live on the streets of Dallas instead of paying rent.

One night in June 2003, Southan smoked $900 worth of crack. The next morning, he sank to his knees, looked up and said, "I need help." Only, never having believed in God, he didn't know to whom he was talking. He just knew he couldn't go on as he was. Starting at age 30, he spent almost 10 years in Alcoholics Anonymous. He stayed clean, but, eventually, he succumbed again to drugs.

"I didn't play the AA game well," he said. "I went to AA and they told me to pray to God _ or to this person you think might be God. ... But I needed more than that, because I didn't believe in God or see how he could help me. I needed someone to teach me about why I should pray to God and about who Jesus Christ is."

After that June night, he landed at Northwest Bible Church, which hosts a Christian Twelve Step program called Celebrate Recovery. Before long, he was attending meetings regularly.

Today, Southan is deeply involved in Celebrate Recovery and in services at the Dallas-area church. A chef, he cooks for the church's homeless ministry, serving roughly 200 people daily.

The secret to his success at Celebrate Recovery? He says it's Jesus.

Celebrate Recovery is an openly evangelical program that fits into a larger movement by …