Eight months ago, David Tarrant-Banks's life was a mess.

He was addicted to ice, he had lost his job and his driver's licence, and, worst of all, authorities had deemed him unfit to parent his daughter.

After a 21-day bender, his sister convinced an incoherent Mr Tarrant-Banks to enrol in a drug rehabilitation program on the other side of the country.

He does not remember the flight from Melbourne and was unaware what city he was in when he arrived.

After sobering up in the regional WA township of Northam, he despaired and doubted that he'd last a week in his rehabilitation program.

Today, Mr Tarrant-Banks is clean and working full time as a chef and is soon to be reunited with his daughter.

Cooking to recovery

David Tarrant-Banks says it's taken a while getting used to working while not being high. ( ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Samille Mitchell )

The key to recovery, he said, was not only detox and counselling, but work — first as a volunteer, and later as a paid chef.

Mr Tarrant-Banks has been working for the Fresh Start Recovery Program's social enterprise, Hill Catering Company. Money earned from the catering work helps fund the recovery program.

"Keeping my mind busy was probably the most important thing — when I get bored, I find that's when I want to use more," he said.

"Working straight was a new challenge for me. I've been cooking for 20 years, so it took a while to get used to things not being high ... it was harder work than I thought it would be."

While you may find Mr Tarrant-Banks cooking for swanky events in Northam, you may also find other recovering addicts serving coffee at Fresh Start's Hill Cafe, based in the Northam Health Service, or mowing lawns and landscaping as part of Hill Contracting Company.

Fresh Start social enterprise coordinator Tina Gunter said working in one of the program's social enterprises not only helped prepare ex-addicts for the workforce, but it enabled them to experience the benefits of thinking of more than themselves.

"All we thought about while stuck in addiction was ourselves: 'Where am I going to get the next hit ... I don't care who I have to step on or what I have to do to get my next fix,'" she said.

"Whereas the life of recovery is thinking outside of yourself, thinking how you can serve the community, because quite often what you get out of serving the community is building ourselves up, building confidence."

'It's a miracle I survived'

Tina Gunter knows the perils of drug addiction herself. ( Supplied )

Ms Gunter spoke from experience. Fifteen years ago, she was immersed in the hell of heroin addiction.

"Sometimes it was 10, 12, 15 times a day that I'd be injecting heroin and or amphetamines into me, and it was an absolute miracle I survived it."

As part of her recovery, she had the opportunity to work while in the care of The Esther Foundation in Perth.

She said she realised the benefits of work for recovery and sought to introduce social enterprises to Fresh Start.

"Because we're a social enterprise, I think people are really happy to use us as it gives them the opportunity to help, while also getting something back."

Hope for future

Mr Tarrant-Banks, meanwhile, said he was focused on being reunited with his daughter. He doubts it would have been possible without the recovery program.

"I'll be going back to Melbourne and my court order is up in October, so hopefully I'll get my daughter back," he said.