MEET david DOUGLAS

story

On the corner of 3rd and Water St. sits a quaint, welcoming beige building. There’ll be a chalkboard out front telling what’s going on inside that night; maybe it’s yoga, or perhaps a game night. There’s a small table with two chairs, and on the window right above are five big blue and white letters that read “KCRCO,” and directly under it: “Kittitas County Recovery Community Organization.”

THE KCRCO’s MISSION

The KCRCO specializes in assisting persons with substance abuse disorder through the entire recovery process. Whether it’s the first early steps of recovery, or helping to maintain sobriety, the KCRCO is dedicated to making the lives of persons in recovery easier and providing them with the resources they need to succeed.

Since moving into the building in November 2021, the first face to welcome you into the building is usually David Douglas and his big bushy beard. The KCRCO is his passion project, and after two years of sustained success, he’s stepping down.

DAVID’S STORY

David’s passion for recovery does not come as third-party interest, it’s personal for him.

Douglas began using drugs and alcohol at a young age and is not only open to sharing his story, but also hopes he can encourage others to speak out about their struggles as well.

“That’s one of the goals of the organization,” Douglas says, “to encourage others in our community who are in recovery to talk about it so that the general public can see ‘Oh my gosh, Dr. D’s in recovery’.”

Douglas says his drug abuse began at age 12. Douglas never had a consistent father figure in his life. His biological father was abusive and out of the picture from an early age, and his mother brought home men of similar character to his father.

After one of the few dads who showed genuine care passed away,

Douglas’ mother remarried, and he turned to drugs shortly after.

“I had a lot of trauma, drugs and alcohol were pretty attractive to me because they helped keep the pain at bay. Alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes were my mainstays for a while,” Douglas says.

Douglas ended up dropping out of high school and in an attempt to find some sort of path got his GED and set course for the military. This did not end up helping, as the military only fueled his abuse disorder.

“The military is an environment where drinking is pretty normal,” Douglas says, “So for a seventeen year old who was already drinking, it just fueled it.”

Douglas ended up getting honorably discharged, while almost getting medically discharged for his drinking habits. From the outside looking in, Douglas seemed to have gotten his life together. At 23, he had a wife, a stable job and a roof over his head. But once looked at closely, it was clear to Douglas that he was not where he wanted to be.

“You’ve probably heard the term ‘functional alcoholic,’ that was me for a

“Within about three months I had sold everything I had in my two-bedroom apartment and lost my job.”