The inquiry, which included a private hearing at Wagga last year, has handed down its findings this week as head of the Special Commission of Inquiry into crystal methamphetamine and other amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), Professor Dan Howard, delivers a report to the Governor of NSW.

Amy McIntosh started smoking marijuana at 15 years of age. From there, it became speed, and then snowballed into an addiction to ice.

"I was about 23 when I started using ice," the now 33-year-old Wagga woman said.

"It was more social use at first, everyone else in my group was doing it so I thought I'd give it a try but the thing is once you try it once, you're hooked."

Miss McIntosh said she has not used drugs for almost three years now after kicking the addiction when she turned 30.

"I got clean on my own, I hit my 30^th birthday and all my friends and I were partying for days before my actual party where my family were and they could all tell I wasn't good," she said.

"A couple of days later it just clicked in my head, I thought 'Enough, grow up, you're going to kill yourself or end up in jail'."

As someone who has experienced the process of overcoming an addiction, Miss McIntosh said she hoped more rehabilitation centres with a focus on mental health would come from the inquiry.

"I definitely think more rehab would help, but in saying that though, rehab isn't for everyone and it wasn't for me," she said.

"I tried it twice and I came out and used again both times but that was my own commitment issues to getting help.

"I suffered a lot of paranoia in rehab, some don't give you the mental help you need, they say everyone has an underlying mental illness which is why they're using drugs, which I did, but they don't work on that too much so I wasn't medicated correctly there and the paranoia kicked in so I thought everyone in rehab was out to get me.

"When I look back though, they were all there to help and just doing their job."

Since being sober, Miss McIntosh has seen changes in her life she never imagined would be possible during her addiction.

"I've got my family back," she said.

"My two sisters disowned me for a long time, I wasn't allowed to see their children.

"At the time I was angry with them, I thought how dare they ban me from seeing my nieces and nephews, but now I don't blame them and I am grateful they've been able to forgive me.

"We get to do family things together now, Mum only just mentioned that the other day actually, she said she's glad we do things together as a family again. Mum was the only one who never really gave up on me."

After losing her licence for three years due to driving under the influence of drugs, Miss McIntosh now has that back too.

"I didn't have a job either and now I'm trusted with keys and passcodes for my job, I have a licence and my car, I've got everything back," she said.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Wagga MP Joe McGirr said he was "optimistic" about the report's findings.

"This is a complex issue - one particularly affecting regional areas - which we know because if it wasn't we would have solved it by now," he said.

There were four key factors essential to solving the problem, according to Dr McGirr, being law enforcement, education, health and social services.

"I'd like to see better police resourcing, a focus on education particularly through schools, better treatment and rehab facilities in regional areas and a public education program as well," he said.

"The key item would be an ongoing task force or body that coordinates all those activities, so police, education, health and social services can all be managed by one overarching service."

Speaking from the perspective of his medical qualification, Dr McGirr said the issue with Ice was beyond just health.

"It's certainly a health issue but it is bigger than that," he said.

"It's an issue that actually has potential to wreck a community. It wrecks families and the broader society, not just those using it."

Dr McGirr said he was looking forward to the findings. "It is clearly a big issue and I was impressed with their approach and sincerity to the actual report," he said.