During a seven-hour drug-fuelled rampage, Alex Richardson deliberately smashed into and drove towards police while speeding down the Princes Highway at more than 150 kilometres an hour.
He was out on bail and high on the drug ice at the time.
For Mr Richardson, then 20, that was nothing new.
For the previous two and a half years, he had been using 1 gram of the drug daily.
But that all came to a head after he found himself disoriented, handcuffed, and facing a significant stint behind bars in March 2020.
"I'd tried a new substance on that particular day and it sort of made you lose your train of thought. It was just out of control," Mr Richardson said.
"I came back as it wore off and looked around, like, 'what am I doing? I've gone too far.'"
Mr Richardson admitted to a raft of charges including deliberately ramming a police van near Port Fairy, and was jailed for four years and three months.
He said it was probably one of the best things to ever happen to him.
Jail nothing like the movies
According to the latest wastewater drug report, methylamphetamine is the most consumed illicit drug "by some margin" across Australia.
More than 14 tonnes of ice, cocaine, MDMA and heroin were detected in the latest reporting period, with an estimated street value of $10 billion.
Drugs, such as ice, were readily available both in his hometown of Colac, and later in prison, according to Mr Richardson.
But he shunned temptation, the thing that drove him to be behind bars in the first place.
He kept his head down, played nice, and even volunteered as someone who other addicts could turn to if they were struggling.
"It's definitely not like you see on the movies," Mr Richardson said.
Not long after he entered prison, rolling pandemic-induced lockdowns meant he had extended periods with no visitors, no education, and lots of time to think.
Granted parole after a little over two years in the system, he is back spending time with his kids for the first time in a long time.
Mr Richardson is still required to wear an ankle bracelet monitor, but as soon as it's off he'll be joining the team at social non-profit The Power In You Project (PIYP), which this month opened a new office in Warrnambool.
Lived experience key
Kane Nuttall is a former addict that founded the PIYP in Geelong six years ago.
His operation focuses on having people with a lived experience of addiction for helping others.
Sometimes it's just a morning walk, other times a wellbeing session at the local pool.
"Having staff with lived experience is going to be incredibly beneficial for the work that we do and the people we support," said PIYP south-west director Jaala Perkins.
In south-west Victoria, temptation in the form of illicit drugs is never far away, according to Ms Perkins.
"You can walk around a corner and get it", she said.
Ms Perkins said the work that people such as Mr Richardson do can help more than just one addict. It changes a community.
"There's a need to change the perspective of people who have been through the prison system," she said.
"Everyone deserves a second or third or fourth chance. It might not necessarily happen that first chance, they might need the second or the third."
Mr Richardson's determined to make the most of his second chance.
He's biding his time until his ankle bracelet's removed, which he hopes will happen in a month's time.
Until then he's taking his kids to the park and helping friends to move house.
It's small things like that now that give him joy.
"It makes me feel good at night going to sleep knowing that I've helped someone," Mr Richardson said.
"I just want to help people."
