The residential drug and alcohol treatment centre took in its first clients early this year, and in the past few months has expanded in to the now-complete second stage of building with additional accommodation and a building housing group session rooms, an art therapy studio and other areas.

The landscaping is complete and there are 11 residents undergoing the 90 day program to help turn their lives around from addiction.

They will be joined by two planned admissions a week for the next few weeks as the centre nears capacity.

Ballarat service manager Carly Johnson said the facility's first two clients have completed their three month stay and are in the next phase of their treatment, an integration program where they have more personal privileges and responsibility, spend more time in the community, take on more senior roles in the peer-run treatment program, and are looking for suitable accommodation outside the treatment facility.

Ms Johnson said alcohol and methamphetamine were the most common addictions they were seeing among Ballarat clients.

"We have been slowly building up to capacity because the program is peer-led, we have to make sure we have an appropriate number of senior peers who can carry the culture and teach the processes of the program," Ms Johnson said.

The treatment program runs daily from 6.30am to 8.30pm, with a recreation hour every morning and afternoon that the residents plan.

"They go for a walk, do yoga relaxation, nature-based mindfulness, Reclink footy and go to Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings to start to develop support from outside the therapeutic community," she said.

Ms Johnson said the peer-led program within the therapeutic community worked well because residents worked together on their recovery.

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"It's effective because peers have got that inside knowledge as to what sort of traps there could be.

"Everything we do has a therapeutic rationale behind it. Most of the groups are peer-led and they are aroung things like bringing awareness to behaviour, assertive communication skills, being able to plan short term and long term goals, and peers challenging each other's thinking and talking about high-risk situations for potential relapse when out in the community."

As an organisation Windana is also working hard on establishing an after-care program for people who have finished their treatment and returned to the general community.

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