He may have been spending $450 a week on spirits, but Chris Fallon took a while to admit it was a problem.
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A comment from a friend opened his eyes and the NSW Central West resident realised he needed help. His issue was trying to find somewhere locally in Dubbo.
"For many centres there was up to a 16 weeks wait which is deplorable," Mr Fallon said.
He ended up in a self-funded rehabilitation centre in Sydney and was able to break free of the addiction.
Mr Fallon is one of the people with lived experience of addiction who has shared their story publicly as part of Dubbo Regional Council's push for a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in the region.
"You can feel very awkward about saying 'I need rehab, I need help'," he said.
"I was embarrassed at first. I thought 'It's only a bottle, a bottle and a half every day and it's good quality bourbon'. And 'it's only $450 a week'... But I got to the point where I don't know who knows or who hears about it, if I can help one single person, I can live with that."
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The rehabilitation facility Mr Fallon attended had 52 beds. Within 24 hours of a bed becoming empty, it was full again.
But for people who have acknowledged they need rehabilitation or detox, Mr Fallon said there needed to be instant help.
"It's not feasible, it's not realistic, it's downright cruel and dangerous. That's when people go backwards," he said.
Mr Fallon said while he found it hard to rehabilitate in Sydney, he could only imagine what it would be like for someone who had to be away from country, or who was unable to see their kids.
How a drug court can help break the criminal justice cycle
Sentencing options like a drug court help to ensure individuals have limited contact with the criminal justice system, rather than ongoing, says Mission Australia's Megan Boshell.
Ms Boshell is the area manager for Mission Australia. As well as overseeing a range of youth and family programs through the organisation, she has also been the manager of the Mac River Rehabilitation Centre.
Mac River is a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility for young people between 12 and 18-years-old. It predominately deals with young people who have had contact with the criminal justice system, however, they can also self refer or be referred through other agencies.
One of the biggest concerns is the lack of detox places for young people, Ms Boshell said.
"There is no detox facility designated for someone under the age of 16," she said.
Dubbo Regional Council is currently campaigning for a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre. It would include 15 rehabilitation beds and eight detox beds.
Council is pushing for the NSW government to provide funding in the upcoming state budget.
"We've worked really hard to access some detox options through hospitals but we've had young people previously who have been at such serious risk of breaching bail, finding themselves back in custody, harming themselves, things like that, because they've been at a point where they're ready to go to rehab...but the detox process for someone in the community is really difficult," Ms Boshell said.
"It's important to recognise not every person who is living with addiction needs to go to residential rehab. For a lot of people access to a detox facility, where they can then get some community-based support after that would have a huge benefit on their addiction and their substance use. But that option is not currently available."
Ms Boshell has also raised the need for alternative sentencing options like a drug court or the MERIT (Magistrates Early Referral Into Treatment) program.
The court attempts to address underlying drug dependency which has resulted in criminal offending. It is open to people who commit non-violent offences.
She herself has seen the affect the drug court can have.
"If you're part in the drug court you might come into contact with a magistrate fairly regularly, but it's to update them on your progress. And that starts to change the rhetoric with the criminal justice system," Ms Boshell said.
She said going before a magistrate you know to say 'I've got a job' or 'I've got a house now' can be a really positive experience, rather than it being horrific or traumatising.