MANY YOUNG people experience the pressure to experiment with drugs, and parents often are not aware of the signs that would indicate someone in their family has a substance-abuse problem.
A series of workshops aims to help parents get answers about the effects of substance abuse and family; the reasons young people begin experimenting with drugs; the key signs of use, abuse and dependency; and treatment and support services available in the county.
The "Understanding Substance Use and Abuse Workshop" will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays from March 8 to 29 at the Brooklyn Heights Community Center, 5015 Ritchie Highway.
Lisa Keough, a supervisor and analyst with the Department of Health, one of the co-sponsors of the workshops, says substance abuse knows no boundaries.
"In all communities, young people are, unfortunately, using substances. The whole purpose of these workshops is to pull the community together and provide support," she said.
The workshops, which are free, also are sponsored by the Brooklyn Park Middle School. Registration is required. Information: Brooklyn Heights Community Center, 410- 222-0023.
Eat at church
Area churches are giving us two reasons to eat out this week.
From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, the youth group at Brooklyn Heights United Methodist Church will present a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper.
Admission is $3, with the proceeds supporting the group's spring retreat.
The church is at 110 Townsend Ave. in Brooklyn Park. Information: 410-789-7049.
The annual soup and baked potato sale held by St. John's Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church at St. John Lutheran Church is planned for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
A variety of homemade soups and baked potatoes with choice of toppings will be available. St. John Lutheran Church is at 226 Washburn Ave. in Brooklyn. Information: 410-355-7295.
Travel plans
If you need to escape the winter blahs, the Arundel Improvement Association has a couple of getaways - a casino day trip to Delaware and a longer adventure to Elvis country in Tennessee.
A bus trip to the Midway Casino in Delaware will leave the AIA Hall, 706 Cross St., at 9:30 a.m. Friday and return at 5 p.m. The cost is $10, including transportation and a lunch buffet.
The Tennessee trip from March 18 to 24 includes a tour of Graceland, a visit to Opryland and a Mississippi riverboat cruise.
The cost is $405, which includes bus transportation, admissions, double-occupancy accommodations and 10 meals.
Information: 410-789-2192.
New York day trip
The Brooklyn Park High School Alumni Association's Spring New York Fling will take place May 5. The bus will leave from Bingo World at 10th Avenue and Belle Grove Road at 6 a.m.
Passengers will be dropped off at 50th Street and Broadway and be picked up there at 7 p.m.
Ample time is available for shopping, sightseeing or taking in a Broadway show. The cost is $30. Information: 410-636-3269 or 410-789-7214.