A pharmacist has attributed the high rate of alcohol and substance abuse among the youth to stress, peer pressure and lack of self-control. "The challenges and economic hardships faced by today’s youth are so enormous that only a handful of them had the will power to stay clear of alcohol and drugs," Mr Appiah Sarfo-Kantanka said. Mr Sarfo-Kantanka, who is an official of the Ghana Blue Cross Society, a non-governmental organization (NGO) committed to the crusade against drug abuse, was speaking at a workshop on drugs organized by the Society for students of the Kumasi Secondary/Technical School (KSTS) at Patasi in Kumasi. He said to ensure that the situation did not get out of hand it behoves on churches and civil society organizations to set up more counselling units and centres to provide the needed services to alcoholics and drug addicts as well as potential drug users. He said the Blue Cross would this year intensify its outreach programmes in second-cycle institutions to expose students to the dangers inherent in the use of drugs and alcoholism. Dr Antwi Boasiako, a medical practitioner, admonished student athletes not to use drugs to enhance their performance since such practices could have adverse effects on their nervous system.Source: GNA