Singapore has a single national specialist service for addictions, and the route you take into it determines what you pay.
What NAMS is
The National Addictions Management Service sits within the Institute of Mental Health, at Block 9 Level 1, Buangkok Green Medical Park, 10 Buangkok View, Singapore 539747. It covers substance addictions and behavioural addictions including gambling.
The numbers
- NAMS general: 6389 2000
- NAMS appointments: 6389 2200
- All Addictions Helpline: 6732 6837
- National Problem Gambling Helpline: 1800 6 668 668
- QuitVape programme: 6389 2929
The subsidy rule
To receive government subsidies, a referral is required from a polyclinic, from a CHAS clinic if the person is a CHAS cardholder, or from a restructured hospital. Appointments can be requested by phone or through the online appointment request form.
Why people delay
Addiction carries more shame than any other condition on this site, and shame is the mechanism that keeps people out of treatment. The practical counterweight is that the first call can be made by a family member, anonymously, to a helpline rather than to a clinic. It does not have to start with the person who is using.
If gambling is the issue
The financial harm moves faster than the health harm and reaches the whole household. Protecting the household finances is a separate task from arranging treatment, and it should not wait for the person to agree to treatment.
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