Study on the  effects of alcohol 507766 Serenity Centre is a pioneer Non-Governmental, Not for profit organization initiated for  the provision of interventions aimed at rehabilitating individuals affected by alcohol use disorders and other drugs of abuse in Uganda and entire great lakes region.  The Centre was founded by four religious Congregations in Uganda (Society of Jesus, Congregation of Holy Cross, Missionaries of Africa and Mill Hill Missionaries) and in conjunction with  the Archdiocese of Kampala. It was registered with The Non-Governmental Organization Statue on 14th day of February, 2003 with its main core mandate is to prevent substance use and rehabilitate victims of substance use.
Serenity Centre is one of the few organizations in Uganda recommended by Ministry of Education and Sports to carryout awareness talks against substance use alcohol use disorders in all secondary schools in Uganda.To achieve this purpose, the Centre was ableto enter into Memorandum of Understanding with Government represented by National drug Authority (NDA) to carry out substance use Prevention and awareness in schools and communities, targeting the youth and Rotary club of Kampala.

Serenity Centre is also engagedin MoU with 2(two) recognized Universities in the Country {Uganda Christian University Mukono (UCU) and Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi (UMU)} where we carry out health promotion and orientation talks at the beginning of every academic year. The Centre also is inPartnership with University of Virginia USA, in corroborative research on Alcohol and other drugs of Abuse.
2.0 Background
Alcohol dependence is among the leading causes of psychiatric morbidity the world over, estimated that there are more than 63 million males with alcohol-dependence-related disorders (World Health Organization, 2004). In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), alcohol dependence is known to be related to risky sexual behaviors and depressive disorders in males (Institute of Medicine, 2010; Pitso <(>&<)> Obot, 2011).However, it was noted that there is limited data on the levels of alcohol use in most SSA countries (Global Health Research, 2016).

In Uganda, alcohol dependence is among the main causes of psychiatric morbidity (Ministry of Health in Uganda, 2005). The Ministryof Health has revealed that the country recorded more than 85,000 cases of drug and alcohol abuse between 2010 and 2014. The alcohol and drug use consumption by region indicates that: Central region at 39%, Northern region at 24.2%, Eastern at 20%, Western at 17%according to Dr. Anthony Mbonye, Director Health Services and Health Management Information System Surveillance report. In NorthernUganda, among the internally displaced people due to war, alcohol dependence is known to be twice as prevalent among adult males (10%) as among women (5%); Roberts, Ocala, Browne, Oyok, <(>&<)> Sondrorp, 2011.
The South Sudan refugee emergency situation in Ugandahas dramatically peaked, with a total of 898,864 refugees as of April 2017 (UNHCR report of 2016). Existing literature reveals thatrefugees are at increased risk for a range of mental health and psychosocial problems, as confirmed by the data from the Health Information teams that visits to health centers in refugee settlements attributable to: psychotic disorders; severe emotional disorders; and other psychological complaints. The three highest ranked mental health and psychosocial problems included #over thinking#, ethnic conflict, and child abuse. Other concerns included family separation, drug abuse, poverty, and unaccompanied minors.

According to the UNHCR report of UGANDA: 2017 Refugee Humanitarian Needs Overview, the main priorities of the South Sudan refugee response in Uganda are: Life-saving protection and multi-sector humanitarian response for newly arriving refugees; stabilization of the seven new settlement areas opened over the past nine months, in particular with regard to water and sanitation, as well as health and education facilities; establishment of child protection and SGBV prevention and response mechanisms; livelihood support to reduce aid dependency  and environmental protection and mitigation measures in refugee hosting areas. The prevention and treatment of alcohol use disorders and drug abuse are not addressed yet it#s one of the key factors contributing to Gender Based Violence (GBV).