The Choking Game
Middle School kids are literally choking each other to get high.
Asphyxia Activity
There is a frightening activity going on among students today. They are literally choking themselves and risking dying for a high. Have you heard students mentioning:
- passing someone out
- being choked out
- The Choking Game
Do you have students interested in knots, ligatures or holding their breath to get a rush?
Aliases
Students are sneaking around in school getting highs from choking each other. They do not realize how dangerous this is. They have called this activity various things--
- Tap Out
- 5 Minutes of Heaven
- 7 Minutes 'Til Heaven
- Black Out Game
- Choke Out
- Choking Game
- Snuff (out)
- Speed Dreaming
- Breath Play
- Purple Dragon
- Gasp
- Suffocation roulette
- Twitching game
- Flatline game
- Fainting game
- Dream Game
- Black Hole
- Dream game
- Suffocation game
- Tingling game
Parents in the Dark
75% of parents have no clue what is going on. Children are choking each other to get a high and they are dying.
Side-Effect is Death
Many middle school students do not realize they can die from this "game." The Guidance Channel states that The Choking Game, as it has come to be called, is a game children play by compressing a friend's chest or squeezing their neck to cut off the flow of oxygen. In the first step, the person being choked will feel light-headed due to the reduced blood flow and lack of oxygen to the brain, causing a perceived "high". Once the pressure to the chest or neck has been lifted the surge of blood back into the brain creates a perceived "rush"....if things go as planned.
Brain Damage
Julie Rosenbluth for the American Council For Drug Education informs us that deaths or brain damage can occur when children try to induce the high by themselves. In many of these cases, children are constricting themselves with ties or belts. When the flow of oxygen is cut off they unintentionally pass out leaving no one to loosen the "noose" they have created and save them.
What If With Friends?
Even children that have "high" parties with friends are at risk for
- permanent brain damage,
- harm to the retina,
- accidental fall from passing out,
- and death.
If the child's partner squeezes a small group of nerve cells in the neck, the heart can stop and death will occur.
Symptoms
What should parents and teachers be on the look out for?
- Raspy breath
- Marks on the neck
- Belts, bags, ties found around the house that have not been there before
- Bloodshot eyes
- Headaches
- Marks on the neck
Warning Signs
- Dog leashes, choke collars, etc.
- Abrasions, scrapes or bruises on the neck
- High-necked shirts
- Hoarseness without having a cold
- History on computer of strange suffocation sites
What Are the Ages?
The most likely age of children doing this is 9-14. So, upper elementary and middle school students are most vulnerable. Why? They are not likely to find alcohol, tobacco or drugs for fun. Asphyxiation is the "free" method of high.
Suicide?
NO. These kids are not thinking of suicide. They are playing a "game"....a game that may accidentally take their life. 10-year olds have been found hanging from trees playing this game. They do not have the maturity to realize how dangerous this is.
Websites: www.TheDBFoundation.com and www.ChokingGameInformation.com
Related articles:
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
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