Two recovering alcoholics recently approached Barren County’s Fiscal Court with a plan to open a clubhouse in Glasgow to help people recovering from substance abuse.

County Judge-Executive Davie Greer said Mike Holmes, 53, and Don Gossett, 42, both of Barren, now have the court’s support for the Barren County Care Center, which could locate on the downtown square.

Greer said they needed a letter of support from the court to apply for a grant. She also didn’t anticipate the community having a problem with the center.

Holmes said local Alcoholics Anonymous and other support group meeting sites have overgrown in the past year.

&#8220There’s no place for (addicts) to go, so they’re out wandering the streets,” he said.

Holmes has been thinking about forming a recovery center for a few months. He traced his recovery to a June 1993 visit to Park Place in Bowling Green.

&#8220Paul Satterfield was the main factor; he was my main counselor down there,” Holmes said.

The staff instilled something in him that others he had been to couldn’t, he said.

&#8220At a very young age, I started drinking and running around with an older crowd and that became my lifestyle,” Holmes said.

Gossett, who met Holmes at a recovery meeting months ago, said a downtown location would be beneficial for a lot of addicts.

&#8220When people get DUIs or their license is revoked, at least they would be in walking distance of a care center,” Gossett said. &#8220There would be a sober person there during regular business hours.”

The prospective site on West Front Street in Glasgow is about 2,000 square feet, which is sufficient for their no-frills plans for 12-step studies, sobriety birthdays and district meetings. If the deal for that site falls through, other potential sites are also on the square, Gossett said.

Barren County’s clubhouse will be modeled after the 13th Street Clubhouse in Bowling Green, he said, which has a library with literature and resources. Independent meeting groups from churches and elsewhere could meet at the clubhouse, too.

Alcoholics Anonymous teaches people to seek a higher power for their recovery, rather than relying on sheer willpower, Gossett said.

&#8220It might be a bird sitting out on a tree limb,” he said. &#8220My higher power is God.”

However, churches are not always the best places to get help because not everyone can relate to an alcoholic or substance abuser’s battle, Gossett said.

&#8220When I go to an AA meeting, I sit with individuals with the same common goal,” he said. &#8220There’s nothing like having people involved who have been there.”

Gossett also commented on the wet-dry debate, with Cave City, formerly dry, now allowing restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages in recent months.

&#8220I’m OK with it, because it doesn’t jeopardize my sobriety,” he said. &#8220Whether it’s wet or dry, if you want to drink, you’re going to find it.”

– For more information about the Barren County Care Center, call (866) 473-3973 or write to Gossett at 2275 Beckton Road, Glasgow, KY 42141.