The Choking Game

I was looking on the Dr. Phil website today to see what shows were on this week-(yes, I do watch the shows sometimes) and came across one in particular that peaked my interest. It's about a game that teens and pre-teens play called "The Choking Game." In this game, they put pressure on their necks using hands, belts, shoelaces, etc. until they get a high from the lack of oxygen. Then they let go. However, this game has killed many teens & pre-teens and will continue to kill many more. Teens & pre-teens play this game in groups, in the locker room, and alone. When they play it alone, they have only a few short moments to release the hold on their neck before they pass out and eventually die due to lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain--it's like hanging yourself.

I'm not even really sure what to say. In a way it boggles my mind that kids do this, but in another way--I can completely see it happening. I can honestly say that as a teenager, if someone had brought this up to me--I might've tried it. Peer pressure and curiosity are amazingly powerful in a teenager's life. That and the fact that the part of the brain helps with logical decision making doesn't fully develop until after the teenage years. I honestly wouldn't even call it a "game." When a game is killing children across the nation and around the world--it's not a game. Soccer is a game, baseball is a game, solitaire is a game...choking yourself to get a high from the lack of oxygen is not a game--in my opinion.

I found two articles that explain it a little better then I have:

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Health/story?id=987294&page=1

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/09/choking.game/index.html