Every morning, he wakes with a sense of purpose that once seemed impossible to imagine. As a recovery guide at We Care Community Services, an addiction treatment and recovery centre in Eunos, Mr Scott Teo now dedicates his days to helping former addicts stay clean – a mission deeply personal to him, because he has walked the same difficult path himself.
The 42-year-old’s struggle with addiction began after his parents’ divorce left him feeling adrift. He fell in with the wrong crowd, searching for belonging in all the wrong places, and anxiety became his constant companion.
“I was constantly anxious and turned to substances to get myself out of my head,” he recalls. He was just 13 years old then.
What followed was a tumultuous journey spanning more than 20 years – a cycle that felt inescapable. Throughout his 20s and into his early 30s, Mr Teo tried repeatedly to quit, but the efforts never stuck. The longest he ever managed to stay clean was six months before the pull of addiction drew him back.
His connections to the outside world were gradually stripped away. Borrowing money from friends, deceiving those who cared about him to fund his habit – these actions left Mr Teo increasingly isolated.
“The only people in my life were my fellow addicts,” he says quietly. “If I wasn’t using , I would have no one.”
The turning point came in 2018 when Mr Teo learnt of the National Addictions Management Service at the Institute of Mental Health.
Mr Teo now works at We Care and channels his lived experience into purpose, helping addicts stay clean and providing advice and guidance to them. PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
While undergoing drug rehabilitation there, he was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and prescribed antidepressants. He also found out about We Care, which is open on weekdays, and runs a variety of programmes for those grappling with addictions.
The centre’s counsellors provide psychotherapy to clients to understand their addiction, lives, triggers and risks, and strengths. Treatment is holistic and counsellors will work with clients on the underlying reasons for their addiction.
For Mr Teo, having a community and a place to go to daily made all the difference. “I got to know others like me, friends who all have the same goal: to stay clean and rebuild our lives. That is the most important thing.” The centre’s mindfulness-based relapse prevention programme also gave him practical tools, teaching him how to cope with his anxiety without turning to drugs.
The journey was not without setbacks. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when the centre was closed, Mr Teo relapsed. But this time, something was different – he had a support system waiting for him.
He managed to overcome his guilt and returned to the centre after it reopened in 2022, drawn back in part by his recovery guide, who had messaged him every day to ask how he was doing, quietly reminding him that the centre was there whenever he was ready.
We Care’s varied programmes and structured routine help ground many of its clients and put them back on the right path, something Mr Teo deeply appreciates as he continues his recovery journey. PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Now, Mr Teo wants to be that steady presence for others. As a recovery guide, he does more than facilitate sessions – he prepares rooms for counselling, manages lunchtime recovery group meetings, and ensures the centre runs smoothly for those who need it.
Most importantly, he provides direct support to those who are unable to cope, about to relapse, or in crisis as well as those lost in life.
His commitment to the work led him to become a certified peer support specialist through the Social Service Institute’s programme, and he has also earned a diploma in social service from the Tsao Foundation’s Hua Mei Training Academy.
We Care has not only changed Mr Teo’s life but given him confidence for the future. “Of course I’m afraid of relapsing, but with We Care, my chances are lower. I have help here,” he says. “We Care is like my second family.”
For Mr Teo, finding this “second family” at We Care was life-changing. But creating such transformative spaces requires sustained support. For organisations like We Care, funding is vital to maintain the programmes that give people like Mr Teo a real chance at recovery.
One of its key supporters is Community Chest – the National Council of Social Service’s philanthropic arm – which supports over 100 social service agencies across Singapore.
Its funding helps We Care run three key programmes. The Sober Living Framework, which most clients are enrolled under, offers structured counselling and group support to help individuals manage addiction and rebuild steady routines.
Project Safe provides guidance to people leaving the drug rehabilitation centre, supporting them as they return to the community, while The Rise Project pairs beneficiaries with job coaches, who help them find work and stay employed through skills-building and workplace preparation.
Thanks to the implementation of these programmes, many have stayed clean and are progressing well in their recovery. A survey conducted on one cohort of Project Safe showed that about three-quarters of the participants remained sober one year after the end of their programme.
Community Chest may distribute vital funding to social service agencies, yet this is possible only with steady support from individuals and companies that understand why recovery stories like Mr Teo’s are worth investing in. One of these companies is chipmaking giant Micron.
With over 9,000 people employed locally, Micron encourages staff to use its Micron Gives portal to donate to Community Chest via the SGShare programme. This is a national platform where employees can make easy monthly donations through an automatic payroll deduction.
Micron process engineering manager Chee Kwok Wei, 32, has worked with Community Chest to host roadshows within the firm’s premises to promote SGShare. Having seen the impact on people like Mr Teo, he highlights Community Chest’s impact, explaining that it supports a broad spectrum of Singaporeans.
Chipmaker Micron has worked with Community Chest to run roadshows on the company’s premises to encourage SGShare sign-ups. PHOTO: COURTESY OF MICRON
Micron employees can also choose other beneficiaries in the portal for their donations, with the Micron Foundation matching contributions up to US$10,000 (S$12,957) for every employee. They can ask to add new beneficiaries too.
The firm also gives staff two days of paid leave yearly for volunteering, and further encourages them to do so during its Star Light Volunteering Month every October. Last year, 98.5 per cent of its employees heeded the call, contributing over 68,000 hours to various causes.
Various volunteering opportunities are made available to Micron employees, including this recent tree-planting one which process engineering manager Chee Kwok Wei took part in. PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
It organises events to plant trees with the National Parks Board or tend to greenery at Gardens by the Bay, assist at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ animal shelters, and more. For its work, it received the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre’s Champion of Good award in 2025.
Ms Varsha Siri Pamarthy, 35, a staff engineer in the new product management department, gave 150 hours of her time last year. One of her fondest memories is taking part in the North West Community Development Council’s (CDC) quarterly food distribution drives, where those who live in public rental flats or are under local welfare schemes can get groceries for free.
Micron engineer Varsha Siri Pamarthy (seen here with Mr Chee) regularly takes part in volunteering events organised by the company and believes that one should donate both time and money to help the underprivileged. PHOTO: COURTESY OF MICRON
“I’ve been an active volunteer since childhood, because my parents have always told me that we can donate either time or money, and as much as possible, we should do both,” she shares. “There are so many people around us who need help.”
Mr Chee adds that even busy people can find ways to do good. For example, he and his wife participate in the annual FairPrice Walk For Rice+ initiative where physical activity translates into meals for vulnerable families, another way of supporting those facing their own struggles, much like Mr Teo once did.
Last year, over 9,000 Micron Singapore employees clocked over 380 million steps in total to support South East CDC in raising 500,000 bowls of rice, supporting those in need.
Mr Chee says: “Some people may think that volunteering means you must spend time at an organisation or with someone. It’s great if you can do that, but if you can’t, you can still look for opportunities to bundle volunteering into your daily life. All of us can do something to help.”
For Mr Teo, that help transformed his life from isolation to purpose. Now, as he supports others in recovery, he serves as living proof of what is possible when communities come together and choose to invest in second chances.
It is a reminder that recovery is not a solo journey – and that every hand extended matters.
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