Leaving court for the last time: Philip Holt's journey to recovery

The 41-year-old was Ballarat's first drug court graduate, completing its intensive two-year-long rehabilitation program early due to his sheer commitment.

Launched in Ballarat in February 2022 as part of the initiative's expansion into regional Victoria, the drug court aims to break the cycle for people trapped in drug-related re-offending.

This is done through a holistic provision of drug, alcohol and welfare services, as well as weekly urine testing for illicit substances.

Mr Holt said the first couple of weeks on the program were harder than he initially thought they would be - but he soon started seeing the benefits of his efforts pay off.

"At the start it wasn't as easy as I thought it was. It is about owning what you have done," Mr Holt said.

"I did slip up a few times, but as you can see I got my head around it and put things in place so when I did stuff up I learned from it, so I could go to the next phase."

Before beginning the drug and alcohol treatment program in 2022, Mr Holt had been sentenced to prison a total of 16 times throughout his life.

Most of the offences which saw him locked up had to do with funding his addiction to methamphetamine, such as theft.

On one occasion, Mr Holt faced court for snatching the wallet of a 90-year-old man waiting at the bank.

"I decided to break the cycle. Drug court works if you want it to work I guess. It took a bit for me to get used to it, but you just have to own what you are doing and put things in place so you don't f**k up," Mr Holt said.

"Prison life, for myself it is not that hard, but it is not somewhere where you want to be."

Mr Holt said he had to overcome an initial hurdle of opening up to others when he started the drug court program, and stay resilient in the face of slip-ups.

"It was hard at the start, because talking about my problems wasn't something I did. In jail you bottle everything up, you don't talk about yourself," Mr Holt said.

"Getting out and talking to counsellors, working the program, it made me a better person.

"Just learning from your mistakes and putting things in place so you don't have those hurdles."

The main court room at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court was full to capacity on Wednesday with the various people Mr Holt had inspired on his 17-month journey through the drug court system.

Speaking to Mr Holt directly was Magistrate Letizia Torres, who oversees the Ballarat drug court and supervised Mr Holt during his frequent review hearings.

Magistrate Torres first sentenced Mr Holt to 11 months imprisonment back in August 2022, from which he eventually worked his way onto the drug and alcohol treatment program.

The magistrate called working with Mr Holt, and watching him walk out the inaugural graduate, one of the "highlights of my career".

"When people come onto a drug and alcohol treatment order... their lives are quite disorganised and messy, and it takes so much time and effort to untangle everything that has happened over the years and move forward, and you did it," Magistrate Torres said.

Also in attendance was Mr Holt's NDIS support coordinator Chloe Dubberley, who looks after the disability support services for Mr Holt.

"While he has faced a lot since before I met him, in the short time I have known Phil it hasn't taken me long to figure out that any challenge he sets himself he puts in extremely hard work to achieve. I couldn't ask for a better bloke to work for," Ms Dubberley said.

"Phil is proof that the program works with a willing participant, and we are really proud of him for all of the hard work he has put in to get to where he is today. Not only with this but every aspect of his life."

Mr Holt now looks to continue living a normal, jail-free life and inspire others who may be facing similar challenges he had to overcome.

As part of this, Mr Holt has been given a role with Uniting's Homelessness Advocacy Refence Committee, and will return as a drug court mentor for other participants.

"You are better outside. You have to work with the program and just be honest with the workers, even if you are stuffing up," Mr Holt said.

"I am just over jail, I want to better my life, and that is that."