Choking Game

Source: Deadly Games Children Play...Stop the Choking Game! - http://deadlygameschildrenplay.com/en/home.asp

The Single Best Weapon Against This Activity is Information:
Most children have no clue how dangerous this activity is.  Most parents have no clue that kids are doing this until someone in their lives dies or is damaged by it.  Schools seem oblivious to it though it has been reported numerous times that this activity often takes place at school.  Medical examiners and police continue to classify these deaths as suicide by hanging when there is no evidence that the child intended to take his life.   The only way to stop the deaths from this activity is to publicize, especially in the schools, the danger of this activity as we do with the use of drugs and alcohol.

What is the Choking Game?
The Choking Game achieves a brief high or euphoric state by stopping the flow of oxygen containing blood to the brain.  Sometimes children choke each other until the person being choked passes out. The pressure on the arteries is then released and blood flow to the brain resumes causing a "rush" as consciousness returns. There are variations of this activity which involve hyper-ventilating until the participant loses consciousness. There is a lesser chance of death but it is still not safe. Playing this game in any form causes the permanent and cumulative death of large numbers of brain cells. The variation in blood pressure may also cause strokes, seizures, and retinal damage.

The danger becomes even greater when a ligature is used and the activity is performed by a lone child.  If the child loses consciousness and there is no one there to IMMEDIATELY release the pressure, he is unable to help himself.  The child will suffer brain damage and death certainly after three minutes.  Some of those who have died were alone for as little as 15 minutes before someone found them and it was already too late. This activity can claim a child's life the first time it is played.

Why Do Kids Do This?
Some do it for the high which can become addictive. Others do it because it's "cool" and risky. Most of the kids who have died from this were not children in trouble. Most were well liked, active, intelligent, stable children who wanted nothing to do with drugs or alcohol. This was an activity they felt was safe. Children have no clue about the physiological principles involved and need to be told by the adults in their lives how dangerous this is. Also, most children have no concept of their own mortality. They truly believe nothing can hurt them.

If I think My child may be doing this, what can I Do?
Supervise the child very closely. Dispose of items that could be employed for this purpose. Warn your child about this activity. They often don't know that this activity can kill them or leave them brain damaged. Alert school officials so that they can monitor your child. Often other students may also be participating. Consider professional counseling and support for your child and your family.

• Check that siblings are not involved in this activity.
• Consider alerting your child's friends parents.

What Can I Do to Help Stop This?
Talk to the children in your life, parents and everyone you know who works with children Make sure they understand why it is so dangerous to participate in this activity. I have a hard time calling this a game. But that's what the kids call it. Even if they survive, people who participate are killing brain cells each time they do this. The damage done is permanent and cumulative. In addition, a child choking another child who is injured or dies, may be indicted and prosecuted for his part in the death or injury. Insist that the school districts in your area provide education about this activity as a part of the risky behavior curriculum (drugs and alcohol, etc.). Doing so insures that all children are warned of the dangers of this activity. This should start as early as elementary school as older children seem to pass this activity to younger ones.

Choking Game Warning Signs!

• Any suspicious mark on the side of the neck, sometimes hidden by means of a turtleneck, a scarf or a permanently turned-up collar
• Changes in personality, such as overly aggressive or agitated.
• Any kind of strap, a rope or a belt lying about near the child without any reason – questions about such objects are often eluded.
• Headaches, sometimes excruciatingly bad ones, loss of concentration, a flushed face.
• Bloodshot eyes or any other noticeable signs of stress on the eyes.
• A thud in the bedroom or against a wall – meaning a fall in cases of solitary practices.
• Any questions about the effects, sensations or dangers of strangulation.
• Choking Game aliases: Blackout, Fainting Game, Space Monkey, Dream Game, Suffocation Roulette, Pass-out Game, Flat liner, California Choke, Space Cowboy, Airplaning, Purple Dragon and many more.

In Your Own Words
These stories and memorials have been created by families that have lost loved one's to the Choking Game. They have been created to remember their beautiful loved one's and to help raise awareness and educate people of this increasingly deadly game. Real Stories