For those of you who have not heard of the choking game, let me fill ya in. This game shouldn’t be childs play; but, it is, in some communities. The choking game is one in which a person’s air flow to the brain is restricted; either by someone else “helping” choke the person with their hands or some other item such as a scarf, rope, ace bandage, or anything that could be used to wrap around the neck and limit the blood flow; or a person doing this to themselves. Sometimes kids call this “game” other things like Blackout, or the fainting game. Now many readers are wondering why someone would do this; isn’t it dangerous? Yes, most definitely…it can cause brain damage,damage to the eyes, skin damage, structural damage to the bones or muscles in the neck and it can even cause DEATH.
Why do some people do this? There is little documentation to examine all of the reasons that people/teens/preteens play the choking game (sometimes called other names such as the fainting game); or even how often this “game” is played.
There is not enough awareness of the problem in society to be watchful of it or the consequences of such activity. It is thought that some people play this game to get a “high”…because when the oxygen levels drop off, some individuals experience a brief feeling of euphoria while others feel that the experience will add layers of erotic or sexual feeling. There are others who get involved with the choking game because of a dare or challenge, and still others use peer pressure to get friends or acquaintances involved. Some challenge others to do the choking game as a form of entertainment because when the person is once again free to breathe normally, sometimes involuntary twitching or muscle movement occurs which they find amusing.
The thing is, there is no way of knowing who will die when playing this game, how long it will take for this thing to cross over from just being short of oxygen; to actually causing damage to the person’s well being/health, or causing their death. This is very dangerous.
So, what are the signs that someone you know is playing this choking game or fainting game? First and foremost, not everyone who does it, talks about it or shares it with the people that they are close to. But sometimes they do, friends talk about it or joke about it…pay attention; it could mean life or death for one of them! That is why some deaths that occur are thought to be suicide…because individuals who do the choking game don’t always do it with other people around…some people do this game alone. That is even more dangerous because in the extreme loss of oxygen, the person’s ability to “stop the game” and losen the bonds that are restricting the airflow may be hindered if they pass out or lose consciousness; they could “accidently” kill themselves.
It is important to look for bruising around the neck, on the eyelids or bloodshot eyes, severe headaches that occur often, unexplained bumps or bruises on the head, glassy eyes or, disorientation after having alone time away from others- acting dazed or confused, hostility in a normally docile person, wearing unseasonable clothing such as turtle neck shirts in warm weather or things that cover the neck. If you have access to their private room; look for things such as belts or scarves tied to the bed or doorknobs, or anything that wouldn’t normally belong there that would indicate it being used for such purposes such as bungi cords and the like.
This isn’t just a kid thing either…it sort of crosses over with some adults who enter into a closely related activity which is erotic asphyxiation. That is when a person uses the loss of oxygen to amplify their sexual stimulation…this is also extremely dangerous, whether the person doing so is alone, or with a partner. Just this past year, David Carradine-famous actor, was found dead in a hotel room, in Bankok, Thailand. He was found in circumstances, which many believe are related to such auto erotic asphyxiation activity; although some believe he may have been murdered, even though some former wives and sexual partners say that he practiced extremely dangerous sexual activities in his private life.
Regardless of age, using any object to limit the amount of oxygen getting to the brain for a game or sexual pleasure is dangerous and people should be informed of what is at risk. Parents need to know about this activity to be on the alert to any behaviors that might shed light on the fact that their child or their child’s friends may be participating in such risky behaviors.
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