Embrace Our Flaws, Celebrate Our Journeys

Lezan Ariffin

Lezan was only 13 when he had his first experience with drugs.

The lack of support and understanding at home left him feeling adrift and unsupported. The oppressive atmosphere and strict rules in his household made him see his family as a source of constraint rather than comfort.

What Lezan did have however, was his group of close friends — the only people he trusted.

Surrounded by friends who praised the benefits of drugs, he succumbed to peer pressure and began experimenting with substances as well.

For him, drugs was a way to connect socially and meet new people, even if it meant bringing him to 'harder drugs'.

It didn’t take long before Lezan was caught, leading to a cycle of repeated incarcerations. But even then, there was no motivation for change.

He believed that youth should be spent having fun - the use of drugs gave him unique experiences that he cannot have otherwise.

His mother tried to convince him to change but her advice always fell on deaf ears.

During Lezan’s last incarceration, he saw many of his prison mates pass away from drug overdoses and other related causes.

He witnessed their families grieving, the pain of loss written all over their faces.

Lezan then thought about his mother.

Her endless support for him despite the bad decisions he made.

It was then that Lezan realised that he had been unknowingly torturing his beloved mother for years.

“You cannot do bad things and then expect good things to happen.”

After leaving prison in 2020, Lezan made the decision to cut ties with his former friends and removed himself from all gang activities.

He decided that enough is enough.

To this day, Lezan's support group continued to keep him going, helping to serve as a constant reminder to never return to his old ways.

Lezan sought ways to use his story to help others, which led him to join the recovery support group, Goal Aspiration, dedicated to giving back to the community through various initiatives.

He is now an active volunteer within the community, sharing his story at schools, prisons, and halfway houses in hopes of inspiring others on a similar path.