MOST experts are unanimous that if an ice addict cries for help, you want to act quickly — and James Gianchino, 34, who has been clean for three years, couldn’t agree more.

But addicts are being forced to pay up to $30,000 for a spot in a private rehab centre or face a wait of up to six months to go a public or charity-run centre.

“There’s a very small time frame that they’re in that mindset,” Mr Gianchino told news.com.au about the need to act quick.

“It’s not as if you can say, ‘hold tight for six months and we’ll get you a bed’. That could mean death or an ongoing life of crime and addiction.”

But a six month wait is the reality for some public and charity-funded rehab centres, forcing many ice addicts’ families to fork out tens of thousands of dollars to get their loved ones immediate help.

After losing his fiance, home and job to a four-year ice addiction, Mr Gianchino tried to get into a publicly funded rehab program in Melbourne but was told to wait or go interstate.

“You have to fit a certain criteria — if you are at your wit’s end and almost dead they might accept you,” he says.

“Apparently I wasn’t quite bad enough — I was like, ‘should I go and get a bit worse?’”

Eventually he turned to his family who helped him scrape together the $30,000 for a spot at a private centre, which he credits for saving his life.

The Effects of Ice Take a look at the way ice effects the bodies and minds of those who use it.

While patients seeking a bed at large centres like Odyssey House in Sydney can usually get in quickly, a bed at a Salvation Army rehab in Brisbane will take about three weeks to secure, while on the NSW Central Coast you’re looking at about three months.

Further south in Victoria, Sam Biondo, the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association executive officer, says average wait times for public and charity-funded beds are in the order of six weeks to six months.

“It really concerns me that the anguish of loved ones forces people to sell their houses or strip their superannuation [to pay for private rehab],” Mr Biondo told news.com.au.

“I’ve heard figures of $35,000 a month, which certainly for me as a professional with a fulltime job would be an outrageous amount of money. I don’t know how people who are impoverished or even people who are somewhat wealthier can afford that level of commitment.”

The federal government has pledged $600 million to tackle ice, but for now the 200,000 Australian ice addicts and their families are often left wondering how to get treatment.

“It’s very obvious that supply [of rehab beds] is not keeping up with demand,” Gerard Byrne, operations manager for Salvation Army Recovery Services QLD, NSW and ACT, told news.com.au.

“We certainly need to make sure that there is adequate funding across the whole non-government residential drug and alcohol sector to be able to keep up with demand.”

TRAVELLING FOR TREATMENT

While some people go interstate for a bed, others head overseas to places like The Cabin in Chiang Mai Thailand, which costs $14,000 a month — less than half of some of the pricier Australian private centres.

“Seventy-five per cent of our clientele are ordinary middle class families so it’s often a bit of a stretch to afford it,” says Alastair Mordey, The Cabin program director.

“We’ve had people who have mortgaged their house, and often the parents and grandparents put in.”

Case in point is Jay, 32, who has spent three months at The Cabin for cocaine and gambling addiction, made possible by a loan from family after he couldn’t get into a non-profit rehab in Sydney.

“You had to call every Tuesday and Friday and if you missed a call, you would get dropped down to the bottom of the list,” he says.

“I did that for five weeks but still didn’t get a bed. Meanwhile, I continued using cocaine and gambling — my cocktail of addiction got progressively worse.”

IS IT WORTH THE COST?

Not all rehab programs are created equal and there’s debate about whether government-funded or private programs are best.

Mr Biondo says it’s difficult to monitor private programs who can charge thousands but might not be effective. However Mr Gianchino is concerned public programs may not be as comprehensive.

Ask Ben Morley, 35, his thoughts on private rehab and he’s adamant it’s worth every cent.

After 19 years of drug use, Mr Morley was suicidal and had locked himself in his apartment unable to eat, sleep or move until his brother-in-law broke in and his father drove him to the Raymond Hader rehabilitation centre where they’ve now spent about $50,000.

“I probably would have cost my parents three times that much if I continued with my cocaine and ice addiction and stealing,” he told news.com.au.

“It was the price to pay to save my life and avoid me dying or ending up in jail — it’s probably a small price for the outcome.”

In their 2016/17 state budget submission, the Victorian Alcohol & Drug Association have recommended the state government fund two 30-bed residential rehabilitation facilities.