Early Life
Kama grew up in a home filled with love, surrounded by what he describes as the “perfect family”. Growing up with doting parents, an elder brother, and a younger sister, he felt deeply rooted in warmth and care. Since a young age, Kama was always curious. He was always asking questions, eager to understand the world around him. He observed his friends around him consuming drugs and being close to the people consuming these drugs, he was curious. This curiosity eventually led him down a different path. He first experimented with drugs during secondary school.
He was adventurous and very much into sports, a passion he believes he inherited from his late grandfather, who was a sportsman himself. Rock climbing became his favourite sport, crediting it as having kept him grounded and away from using drugs too excessively in his younger years.
Curiosity Turned Struggle
While his passion for sports gave him a form of stability in his younger years, adulthood came with a wave of uncertainty and things began to unravel. This uncertainty brought about more excessive drug use.
Around that time, there was a tough economic downturn, and he observed people around him getting retrenched. He, too, faced job insecurity. He remembers feeling “kan chiong”, worrying about his job. Fearing the stress of his own possible retrenchment, he made the decision to escape the pressure.
After quitting his job, he drove for Uber and delivered parcels, but this change in working environment was tiring, physically and mentally. Feeling helpless, he turned to a drug he knew would boost his energy, and that was when he got hooked. He didn’t fully understand the impact. He couldn’t focus, he was all over the place, and it made him more stressed. Married at the time, he was further overwhelmed by self-imposed pressure to make his wife happy, but he didn’t know how. He felt like he was failing his wife, breaking all his promises to her, and disappointing everyone who cared about him.
Struggles with Mental Health and Seeking Help
Kama’s health started deteriorating. He ended up in IMH (Institute of Mental Health) in 2016/2017. It was the first institution that tried to help him, but he could not bring himself to accept the help.
He still clung to the idea that things could go back to how they were before. But the addiction only deepened, straining his marriage and leading to health issues.
IMH saw that he wasn’t helping himself and was still taking drugs. That was when he was incarcerated.
Breaking Point and Turning Inward
Incarcerated for three years from 2018 to 2020, Kama faced the painful reality of divorce while in prison. That moment marked a turning point. It was in prison that he began to confront the depth of his struggles. For the first time, he truly feared for his life — not because of external threats, but because of what he might do to himself. He knew he needed to change.
There were dark days, even after he tried to accept help. Kama was depressed and even got admitted to the psychiatric ward in prison after expressing suicidal thoughts. It was there, during a moment of deep prayer, that he began to see things differently. He realised that perhaps God had sent people to help him all along — he just hadn’t been ready to receive it. The next day, he told his doctor he wanted to give himself a chance. And he truly deeply meant it. He reflected on his journey thus far and realised that in order to love others, he first needs to love himself. He soon found himself being more focused and even reading during his time in prison. His friends in prison supported him, and he worked on trusting the process and believing that help would come in some form.
The Long Road to Healing
After his release, Kama faced new struggles of dealing with the divorce, as well as the realities of reintegration. In 2021, Kama stayed at Highpoint. But in his desire to get back to normal life, he left Highpoint very quickly, only spending a few months there.
Though he had a solid plan, executing it outside prison proved far more challenging. He carried heavy self-blame: “One thing that was holding me back is that I put the blame on myself too much.”
He constantly asked his mum for forgiveness, and she lovingly reassured him, “We already forgave you. You need to focus on your life and move on.”
He hadn’t yet forgiven himself for the pain he caused his loved ones. Something internal was blocking him from giving himself a second chance. That self-blame turned inward, leading to a period of alcohol abuse in 2022.
Eventually, Kama recognised that things were spiralling again. He reached out to the National Addictions Management Service (NAMS), where he was advised to detox and complete recovery programmes like Narcotics Anonymous (NA). Knowing he needed his own space to learn to help himself without just depending on his family, he requested to return to Highpoint — a place he had briefly been before. But this time, he was ready.
His second time at Highpoint, he committed to doing things differently. He continued his NA meetings, started counselling, and worked closely with his caseworker and counsellors. With support from his “garang brother” Beng Kim (Highpoint’s Intake Manager), encouragement from Samuel (Highpoint’s Programme Manager), and honest feedback from his support system, he rebuilt from within. He learned not only to use the tools he had picked up in prison—but to apply them meaningfully in everyday life.
Kama said, “I realised what God meant when He said He sent everyone my way to help me.”
Rebuilding Relationships
One of Kama’s biggest breakthroughs came from understanding the root of his defensiveness with his family. He realised that when his family checked in on him or asked him where he was going, he often felt judged. But when others, like the Highpoint staff, did the same, he felt supported. This reflection helped him see that his family’s concern came from love, not suspicion. Slowly, he began to open up more.
He said, “When my parents came and visited me at Highpoint, they smiled genuinely, and I felt there was more trust.” Highpoint also helped him with employment opportunities. He took on cleaning jobs and then moved on to F&B work, supported with flexibility and encouragement.
Communication became a skill he actively practised. He learned that even with good intentions, if he didn’t express them, misunderstandings could happen. These insights helped him rebuild trust with his family. He also found great meaning in being an uncle — someone present, dependable, and loving.
He appreciates Highpoint’s role in reuniting families: “One magical thing that Highpoint has done, that I remember, is how Highpoint reunited me and my family.” One moment he cherishes deeply is a recent Hari Raya celebration at Highpoint, where his parents, sister, and nephew attended. His family’s forgiveness and support have been instrumental in his recovery journey today.
Growing with Purpose
Kama is still on his journey and sees himself as a work in progress. But the positive is that he is starting to love himself more. Loving himself allows him to better understand his family and feel less angry, though he admits he sometimes overthinks.
He carries everything he learned from his journey and his counselling sessions through his daily life. He understands that while he may still falter, each step forward counts. And more importantly, he deserves to try.
Today, he continues his counselling, takes medication with the aim of eventually weaning off, and is working in F&B — an industry he enjoys. He’s also pursuing a private diploma, sponsored by the Yellow Ribbon Project, and is grateful for the support he is surrounded by.
Alongside counselling, the outpouring of love and encouragement from his family helped him begin the process of forgiving himself and loving himself again. This deep connection with his family grounds him and keeps him moving forward, one step at a time. Today, he lives with his younger sister and her family, embracing his role as the fun uncle — a role that fits his youthful and playful spirit.
Looking Ahead
Kama hopes that society can be more patient with those on recovery journeys. Mistakes may still happen, but not all mistakes are the same — and not all setbacks mean failure. He encourages others like him to explore their feelings and communicate with loved ones. “When your loved ones are far away, you just wish that person was in front of you and you can hold their hand and talk to them. Cherish the time you have with them and create memories.”
To him, creating memories with loved ones is one of the most precious parts of life. And thanks to the second chances he’s received — from Highpoint, from his family, and from himself — he’s rebuilding those memories with hope and purpose.