The Choking Game

While watching Oprah yesterday, I was informed of something called “The Choking Game.” I’m not that old, but I had never heard of it. Perhaps you haven’t either. It is not a “game” at all. It is suffocating yourself for a high. Which makes me wonder, are kids getting stupider each generation?

Children, teens and even adults are dying from this. They are cutting off the blood flow to their brains in exchange for a few seconds of a “high.” This warm and fuzzy high is really just the brain dying, thousands of cells at a time. They are doing this by strangling themselves with a belt, rope, chain, plastic bags, or even their bare hands. When done in groups or “choking parties” they have others push on their chest so hard they can’t breathe, or just watch one another (or even help) others to pass out.

This deadly game is not new. It has been around for generations. Due to the fact that when done alone, it looks more like suicide than a “game” the actual number of lives taken by this is unknown.

It has many other names too. Here are a few to be on the lookout for if you hear someone you know saying them: Blackout, Flat Liner, Fainting Game, California Choke, Dream Game, Airplaning, Suffocation Roulette, Space Cowboy, and Pass Out Game.

Here are some informative links about this deadly game.
http://www.stop-the-choking-game.com/
http://www.chokinggame.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_choking_game