Stigma driving regional NSW drug addiction with crisis reflected in ACIC figures

Members of the Community Drug Action Team, who help raise awareness of the risk of drugs and alcohol in Wagga, shared concerns over the "demonising" of addicts after recent figures showed the use of ice in regional NSW to be roughly double that in the state capital.

CDAT treasurer Sheree Ridley said support options were not the issue, but rather people's attitudes.

"There is still a very strong stigma in regional areas, and it is such a shame that those people struggling with drug or alcohol addictions are too ashamed to ask for help because of that," she said.

"People need to have more compassion. In the cities, they seem to treat an addiction more like a health issue rather than demonising people for it, and I think more people need to start adopting that attitude, because that's exactly what it is - a health issue."

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission released the eleventh report of the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program last week, with the latest figures from April showing between 60-65 doses of methamphetamine per 1000 people per day in regional NSW compared to just 30-35 in the capital.

CDAT chairman Phillip Pye said the other contributing factor was the issue of drug addiction cycles in the regions.

"There is a cycle that needs breaking, the addiction and environment around that is often passed down through generations," he said.

"We need to focus then on educating people when they're still young, helping them understand the risks."

But in order to see real changes beyond an end to stigma and escaping the cycle, Ms Ridley said people struggling with an addiction need to take responsibility for their lives.

"We know it is a health issue, and we know it's scary to take that step and get support, but you have to take ownership of your life and stop making excuses," she said.

"People will be there for you to support you when you do take that step, too."

Ms Ridley said it was all a learning curve, one of which she hopes will lead to a positive end result.

"It's like years ago, people never worried about smoking around your kids, and now we know better. People used to be locked up for having manic depression, and now we know better," she said.

"It's the same with addiction, we just haven't gotten all the way there yet but in 20 years' time, hopefully we can look back and think, 'Wow, we know better now'."