Rehab centre sensitises students to substance abuse
A private rehabilitation and anti-drug advocacy organisation, Chosen Rehab Centre, has sensitised students from the St Mary’s and the Accra Wesley Girls Senior High School to substance abuse prevention.
The outreach, held last week, focused on prevention through awareness creation and aimed to address curiosity and peer influence before they developed into substance dependence.
It formed part of the organisation’s efforts to combat drug dependency among adolescents and students in the country.
The organisation collaborated with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to roll out the initiative.
As part of the sensitisation activities, some former addicts who were in rehabilitation shared their stories with the students.
They educated the students on the harmful effects of drug abuse and advised them against giving in to peer pressure and unhealthy levels of curiosity about drugs.
Concern
The Founder and Director of the centre, Kobby Washington, said the organisation had intensified its outreach after it observed increasing numbers of young people entering rehabilitation services with substance-related conditions.
“This programme is a corrective intervention aimed at strengthening youth resilience before exposure to drugs escalates into addiction,” he said.
He urged students to avoid environments that exposed them to drug use and peer pressure.
“Don’t even look at it. Don’t even go close to friends that are already indulging in this,” he said.
Mr Washington explained that early intervention would reduce the likelihood of exposure and long-term addiction and also improve community health outcomes.
Mr Washington suggested that the school curriculum should adequately address substance abuse risks, coping mechanisms and peer resistance skills.
He said it was important to intensify drug education within official school learning structures.
“Students remain vulnerable due to limited formal instruction on substance abuse risks and coping strategies.
This outreach highlights the need for structured education programmes that address the behavioural and psychological triggers of drug use among young people,” he stated.
