ADDICTION takes a toll on individuals and their families, but the problem only intensifies when an addict wants help and is unable to access it.
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A new analysis presented to the Uniting Church has found that Australia has alarming gaps in its alcohol and drug treatment regime, with women that have children and people living in rural locations most affected.
Two hundred thousand Australians per year are unable to access the alcohol and other drug treatment services they need, despite a desire to recover.
READ ALSO: Plan for tackling Australian drug woes
To highlight this issue, the Uniting Church Synod of NSW/ACT and its advocacy and services agency, Uniting, has organised the Long Walk to Treatment.
The walk sees 50 community and church leaders, as well as members of the public, walk from Dubbo to Parliament House in Sydney.
Their journey started on October 19, with walkers due to stop in Bathurst this Thursday.
Members of the community are invited to join the last leg of the walk.
They can meet the group at the corner of Ophir and Eglington roads at 12.30pm, while anyone with mobility aids can join from the path alongside the river.
Julie Greig of the Bathurst Uniting Church said the group will stay in Bathurst to help spread the message and camp at the William Street church overnight.
The walkers are happy to meet with community members, share their stories and will present a film about the walk and the issues behind it.
“We are inviting the community to come along to watch the film and find out more,” Ms Greig said.
Anyone who would like to attend should arrive at the Bathurst Uniting Church at 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start.
Ms Greig said the walk is the church’s way of highlighting the lack of accessible drug and alcohol services across the state.
“What we see is that it is really difficult for people who want to make a change to find residential spaces to get help,” she said.
“There certainly are services in Bathurst, but there’s not so much in the way of residential services, like support groups.
“The further west you go, the harder it gets.”
READ ALSO: Drug and alcohol addiction in Bathurst
The walkers will continue their journey to Parliament House on Friday, setting out early for Tarana.
They will be carrying a baton containing an open letter to the health minister, highlighting the issue of access to treatment and calling for enhanced funding for vital treatment and broader systemic change.
Ms Greig said it was an issue the church wanted to bring awareness to, as it does with other community issues.
“The Uniting Church has quite a large focus on social justice and being a voice for people who don’t have one, that’s what we do,” she said.
