“I was at rock bottom,” he told FMT. “I had gone out to buy milk for my children, but used the money to buy drugs instead.

“I was so filled with regret. How was I supposed to go home and tell the only woman who trusted me what I’d done?”

An addict for more than 10 years, mostly using heroin and marijuana, he said frequent attempts to quit had always ended in relapses, causing much pain to those around him.

Unable to bring himself to jump, Ramli returned home to face his wife, and for the first time admitted that he needed help.

On Merdeka Day 1986, he was sent to a government rehabilitation facility which turned his life around and illuminated the path that he has now walked for more than 30 years.

“It was very regimented and tough back in those days, very militarised. One time, I was sent to isolation after they accused me of stealing, and I spent two weeks in what was basically a toilet. I got four biscuits a day and it was so dark, I couldn’t tell whether it was day or night most of the time.

“I came out sober after a year, and I already knew what I wanted to do. I said to myself: ‘is this really how we want to treat addicts? Well, I’ll show you.’ I turned my anger into motivation.”

After building a loose network of former addicts to help support those in recovery, he finally established Persatuan Pengasih Malaysia in 1991, which has since helped thousands of Malaysians not just to get clean, but also to stay that way.

“With our methods, we find that almost 70% of the people who leave never touch drugs again, which is very good compared to other centres. Not only that, but they go and get jobs, they build relationships, they reclaim their lives.”

Entirely run by recovered addicts, the system relies on supporting and rebuilding the self-esteem of residents rather than treating them as broken. It treats over 300 residents a year across six facilities nationwide.

“These people are sick and tired of being sick and tired,” he said. “When they are around recovered addicts, they feel hopeful. They see it can be done, and that there is a way out for them.”

The programme begins with three months of monitoring to stabilise patients, many of whom experience painful withdrawal symptoms that require replacement therapy like methadone treatment.

After that comes therapy and mental retraining to show residents that they can enjoy themselves without using the drugs they once relied on.

“The brain is not like a computer. You can’t simply erase memories. So we encourage exercise to give them the endorphin rush. We have social activities like karaoke to show them life isn’t flat without the high.”

Then they are given responsibilities around the facility as chefs or administrators “to rebuild their self worth and make them feel like they have a purpose”.

One patient was Aidan, who is currently studying graphic design at a university while in his second stint at Pengasih.

“I used to take Nospan, a cough pill,” he said. “In Kuching, there was nothing taboo about it and it was so easy to get.

“After five years of using, I developed schizophrenia and, after a few more years, I moved to meth.”

Aidan now uses his graphics and web design skills to help with the centre’s digital presence. He has decided to stay at Pengasih while pursuing his studies so he can stay focused and take advantage of the supportive community around him.

“I nearly missed out on university after I relapsed. I realised if I could lose that, I could really lose everything if I didn’t take getting clean seriously.”

Ramli said drug use was now changing from when he was an active user, adding that there are worrying trends among the people who go to the centre.

“In the last few years, I’ve seen doctors, lecturers, pilots, all sorts of professionals. Drugs were once used for recreation, but now there are people using uppers for performance.”

These drugs, such as amphetamines, may boost one’s focus and allow users to think more quickly, but Ramli warned that the costs outweighed any performance benefits one might feel.

“To those still using, know that drugs are temporary solutions to problems,” he said. “In the long-term, it will destroy you. There’s a reason you don’t see highly successful, full blown addicts. It doesn’t last.

“Addictive behaviour is destructive. It’s a cunning kind of greed, always chasing that next high.

“It’s very dangerous.”

Those interested in donating to Pengasih can do so through its website.