Secret parent/teen code to get out from under peer pressure

BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Teen peer pressure to drink, or get into other trouble, can be tough to fight, but a U.S. expert suggests a parent/teen secret code to get out of situations.

Dr. George Askew at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says there's a way for a teen with a cellphone to slip out of those uncomfortable situations, which involves a parent, a secret code and a phone call.

"The teen texts a secret code -- something agreed-upon by the teen and the parents -- to a parent," Askew says in a statement. "The parent responds immediately with a phone call."

It gives a teen a way out, by saying: "Well, my mom just called. I was supposed to do something, I have to go run and do that, but I will catch up with you guys later," Askew said.

Askew says it's something parents can talk about with their teens as part of a broader conversation about teen drinking.