It started early for Kevin Tillotson.

He was barely a teenager when a friend offered him methamphetamine. That one decision — the decision to say “yes” — led him to nearly 30 years of active addiction.

Three decades of intravenous methamphetamine use took its toll on Tillotson’s life.

“I started shooting up right when I first started, so I got into it big time,” the Fort Dodge man said.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Webster County Drug Court graduate Kevin Tillotson keeps a framed photo of his mug shot next to a photo of him from his Drug Court graduation with Judge Adria Kester to remind him how far he's come since starting his recovery.

Being in active addiction made him selfish, he said.

“I never had time for anybody except myself,” Tillotson said. “My kids and my parents got it the worst, but now I’ve regained my relationships with both of them.”

His dependence on drugs and the actions he took to keep a regular supply of drugs, like stealing, pushed him away from those relationships for years, something he now regrets.

“I wish I would have decided to get clean a long time ago,” Tillotson said.

Tillotson’s recovery story began on May 28, 2020. It was the day he was arrested by officers with the Fort Dodge Police Department and charged with several drug possession felonies.

“I tried getting clean the year before that, and I was clean for almost a year, and then I gave up,” he said. “I was living in hotels and stuff, living on the streets and everything. And then I got arrested on May 28.

“That’s when I asked for Drug Court,” he continued. “That’s the best choice I ever made.”

The Webster County Drug Court program started in 2015 to help those struggling with dependence on drugs or alcohol and facing criminal charges to break the chains of addiction and get their lives back on track. It is a prison diversion program.

The Drug Court team — District Court Judge Adria Kester, a prosecutor, defense counsel, a probation officer, a peer recovery coach, substance abuse treatment provider, mental health treatment provider and law enforcement representatives — work with the individual to address the root cause of their addiction and criminal behavior and help them change.

“In the beginning, it was rough,” Tillotson said. “You’ve got five phases you go through. It takes like a year and a half.”

The Drug Court program helped Tillotson get his driver’s license back and find and maintain a job.

“They just helped me a lot, so that’s why I’m trying to give back to them now with volunteering with the alumni (of the program),” he said.

As part of the Drug Court program, Tillotson had to complete the residential treatment program at Community and Family Resources in Fort Dodge.

“Every day was a challenge,” he said. “I didn’t know if I was ready to stop [using drugs].”

After successfully completing residential treatment, he moved into the CFR men’s recovery house to continue his recovery journey.

After graduating from Drug Court earlier this year, Tillotson decided he wasn’t done with the program — he remains active with the Drug Court’s alumni group, providing support to current program participants, as well as his fellow alumni.

Peer support is paramount to the recovery process, he said.

“You’re never alone,” he said. “If you’re in recovery, we have support groups in town. If you get involved in those, you’re part of a family and you’re never alone.”

Today, Tillotson has been clean 828 days.

He takes it one day at a time, meeting with the alumni group and going to therapy. Helping at his partner’s store in downtown Fort Dodge, KD’s Over the Moon, helps keep him on track, too, he said.

Being clean has given Tillotson a new perspective on life.

“I care about people now — I care instead of not caring, that’s the big thing now,” he said. “If I was doing meth, none of this would be possible.”

While it may not always seem like it when someone is in active addiction, finding help to recover is always worth it, Tillotson said.

“It’s been a process for me and I feel like I’m doing great now,” he said. “There’s still struggles, but you put the work into it and you get the benefits.”

What does recovery mean to Tillotson?

“Recovery means staying connected, helping the next person who comes along, helping them with their struggles,” he answered. “And by helping them, it helps me maintain mine. That’s what it means to me. Recovery: staying clean and doing the next right thing.”