Husband and wife duo now inspire others to kick the habit

When the pair first met more than a decade ago, they were not just coworkers - they were also drug addicts.

- Zhaki Abdullah Correspondent

Ms Nur Azlinda Zulkifli was Mr Mohammad Hairi's pusher who introduced him to meth.

Now, the two are married and are anti-drug advocates, working to prevent other addicts from making the same mistakes they made all those years ago.

"I want to inspire them, and show them that it is possible to change, to become a better person," said Ms Azlinda, a 38-year-old senior project manager.

The couple's history with substance abuse began at an early age from being around bad company - Ms Azlinda started sniffing glue at 12, and Mr Hairi used cannabis at 11.

Glue-sniffing eventually led to her addiction to drugs, such as cannabis and Ecstasy, Ms Azlinda recalled, noting that she would often skip meals as a teen in order to save up money to support her habit.

"Then I started stealing because I didn't have enough pocket money. I didn't dare to ask my parents for more money," she told The Straits Times.

While she was able to complete her secondary education, Ms Azlinda's intravenous drug use led to her contracting hepatitis C - a chronic infection, commonly spread by sharing needles, that can result in severe liver damage.

Her diagnosis put a damper on her plans to pursue nursing as a career due to restrictions placed on healthcare workers with the disease, and she dropped out of the diploma in nursing course in her second year of studies.

Ms Azlinda ended up working in facilities management while selling drugs on the side to support her part-time studies, as well as her ongoing drug habit.

Among her customers was Mr Hairi, a coworker.

Now 44 years old, he told ST he had been involved with gangs since he was a child, an association that led him to being detained at the Singapore Boys' Home at 14 for rioting.

His gang involvement allowed him easier access to drugs, said Mr Hairi, who now works with the Industrial and Services Cooperative Society (Iscos), a group that helps former offenders.