A recovering alcoholic, Charmane Moneas says she's struggled since 2017 with a meth addiction.

"It's very easy to access and the high is long, although it's very scary, it's life threatening, you’re putting your life at risk," said Moneas.

Moneas is getting help.

"I'm very fortunate that I'm sitting here today because I want to make change," said Moneas.

For some, treatment could be a long time coming. New numbers obtained by the Manitoba Liberal Party show wait times for addictions treatment have edged up in Winnipeg.

"It's really frustrating, this is a government that's said it's doing stuff, but we see wait times going up and up," said Liberal leader Dougald Lamont.

The document from the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba shows wait times in the city over the last three years have increased for both men and women.

"You have women waiting months, seven months before they can get into treatment, that's way too long," said Lamont.

Wait times for treatment

 

2016/17      

2017/18        

2018/19 (YTD, Oct. 31)

Men:

38 days

45 days

52 days

Women:

203 days

195 days

206 days

Source: Addictions Foundation of Manitoba

In a statement, AFM said demand is increasing and exceeding what it can meet.

“In the past year we doubled the number of beds in the women's residential treatment centre in Winnipeg from 12 to 24. We have been making efforts to maximize occupancy in our residential programs so that we are providing as much service as we can within available resources,” said the statement.

“Demand is continuing to increase and exceed what we can meet within existing resources. Why demand is increasing we are not certain – it could be increased problematic substance use and/or increased awareness of services and/or other factors,” it read.

Charmane Moneas believes the meth crisis is contributing to the longer waits. She'd like to see more beds opened up for those in need.

"They can't stop using and it leads to death, right. It's either -- some people make it out, some people don't," said Moneas.

In a statement to CTV News, Manitoba Health Minister Cameron Friesen said, "These are not our challenges alone but of every jurisdiction. Nevertheless, we are working hard to respond and have made several substantial investments, including opening five Rapid Access to Addiction Medicine (RAAM) clinics that have served more than 700 Manitobans since August, signing onto the federal government’s Emergency Treatment Fund, doubling the capacity of treatment beds for women at the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, adding six mental health beds at Health Sciences Centre and becoming the first jurisdiction in Canada to allow paramedics to use olanzapine on patients who have used methamphetamine.

“These are significant investments with more to come.”