Oct. 29, 2009 (Business Wire) -- In support of Red Ribbon Week, the largest annual campaign to prevent drug and alcohol abuse, MHN, the behavioral health division of Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT), is promoting awareness and education among parents and children.

“One of the best ways to prevent youth drug and alcohol abuse is to take an active role in your child’s life,” says Juanell Hefner, president, MHN, Inc. “Simply being together is highly valuable. Spending quality time with children and staying connected helps to strengthen the family unit, which can be particularly important when children are faced with serious choices, such as drug and alcohol use.”

MHN recommends the following tips to fit in quality time with your children:

• Eat together – this healthy tradition gives families the opportunity to reconnect and share the day’s events with one another.
• Read together – kids love to be read to; and not only does it help them develop good reading skills and a thirst for knowledge, it creates undivided, quality time between children and parents.
• Work together – find a regular chore that is usually done alone and make it a job for two. This helps impart the values of responsibility and cooperation in children, and brings parents and children closer together by working as a team.
• Play together – Share a sport, exercise or hobby you and your kids love or try their favorite activity. When you find something you both love, make it part of your regular routine together.
• Write together – People often express themselves more freely in writing or show a different side of their personalities. Take a few moments each day to write your children a note or send them a quick text letting them know you’re thinking of them.
• Splurge together – Surprise your child with an occasional, spur-of-the-moment treat. The real treat isn’t the ice cream or movie, it’s the unplanned, leisure time your child gets hanging out with you.

To educate parents about signs that may indicate drug and/or alcohol use, MHN has developed the following checklist.