Paul Gauguin (1848–1903), artist
I was shocked to see this story. I thought we were the only teenagers innocently dumb enough to play this -- the choking game. Suffocation, which includes hanging, overtook gunshot in 1997 as the No. 1 way 10- to 19- year olds take their own lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as reported in the New York Times today.
Back in my day, about four or five of us would go up into a friend’s room and Mark (not On The Mark), who was the strongest in the neighborhood would take turns choking
one of us so we could pass out and the others could watch the person twitch and jerk around. I only did it once; being choked was not to my liking.According to the article: “Asphyxiation games have been with us for generations, but what makes the current generation’s execution of this game different is that more kids are willing to play it alone,” said Dr. Thomas Andrew, the chief medical examiner in New Hampshire, who has consulted on 20 cases around the country where the game was suspected.
We also experimented with hypnosis until we showed off to a friend’s mother that we could make the neighbor kid smell ammonia and he thought he was smelling perfume. I am sure the mother saw a massive lawsuit and huge liability insurance claims. That pretty much ended our fun; it was back to balloon water fights.
12 comments:
Recently there have been more deaths from the ‘choking game’. I am hoping you will post this additional information for your readers. Thank you for helping to spread awareness on this killer of our children.
Educational and Informational resources are available online, most of them free of charge.
D.A.R.E. / Police officer Scott Metheny has developed a power point presentation which is downloadable online at:
WWW.http://DeadlyGamesChildrenPlay.com
aka
WWW.http://StopTheChokingGame.com
Officer Metheny, along with parent Carol Connelly who’s son Steven Connelly’s died as a result of another high risk, thrill seeking asphyxiation activity have given many school presentations in an effort to bring awareness to society of this deadly, wicked killer.
Human Relations Media Educational Publishers have also created a cd / video for distribution:
Product Awards
CINE Golden Eagle Award
This program exposes “the choking game”…a shockingly foolish and deadly activity among 9-14 year olds that has resulted in the tragic deaths of children across the country. Through interviews with children who have participated in the “game”, siblings and parents of children who have died, and experts and physicians, young viewers get the straight and alarming facts about just how dangerous this “game” is. One young teen describes his personal experiences with the “game” and how his twin brother Gabriel died from it in an attempt to get high without drugs. Dr. Thomas Andrew, a medical examiner, describes what actually happens to the brain when the blood flow gets cut off causing brain damage and possible death. A parent describes and details the tragic death of her son in an attempt to prevent others from the same fate. Gives young viewers information explaining the difference between healthy and dangerous risk taking.
Includes Pre- and Post-Tests Running Time: 19 minutes
Click here for online preview:
http://www.hrmvideo.com/items.cfm?action=view&item_id=2864&type=&search_ke ywords=
http://209.35.211.201/quicktime/thechokinggame_384k.wmv
Since losing my 13 year old son Gabriel to this ‘game’ on May 6, 2005, over 140 others have fallen victim to it. Education, warning and awareness can and has saved lives.
Ignorance is not bliss,
Sarah Pacatte, Gabriel Mordecai’s mom
http://StillLovingMyGabriel.com
I'd never heard of this, never thought of it, and never tried it... I hope my kids are smart enough to avoid it if they are exposed to it. Any relation to the "death by erotic asphyxiation" plague that's sweeping the nation? Perhaps unwilling to own up to what was really going on, kids claim it's the choking game?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_asphyxiation
We also lost a 16 year old son to this foolish "game". Thank you for writing on this to bring awarenes. I pray every day another family does not have to go through the nightmare we have had to go through.
Loni
On the Mark says: Never knew of this "game" when I was a kid, thank God. Worst I ever did was match fights in my bedroom and putting firecrackers in oranges that were then used as grenades when we played war.
Wow, I had no idea it was such an issue!! Holy ***.
Of course, we heard the rumours about Michael Hutchence from INXS doing that, but what the hell kids?? What are you doing??
I saw the article in the NYTimes and viewed it as an idea for a childhood story. I was surprised and saddened that there is such a problem. When we did it, we didn’t even know it was a game others played. It was just happenstance.
SarahPacatte, I am impressed by your passion and caring.
B2, I seriously doubt you’ll have to worry about your kids pulling such a stunt
On The Mark, if you knew about the game when you were a kid, I’d be worried for the other kids. The Man From UNCLE was a bad enough influence on you.
Chandira, INXS was the only incident I had ever heard of; and the TV shows where erotic asphyxiation is a plot point.
I was too scared to let anyone choke me.
My parents were very overprotective and I lived a very sheltered life in a small town, so I have never heard of this either. How tragic.
Growing up we had family friends, a couple and their daughter who was about my sister's age (7 years older than me). This girl had a son, but she was always such a basket case, that she gave the kid up for adoption to her parents. When he was 9, he hanged himself in an apparent choking game in their main bathroom while home alone. I've never in my life been to a sadder funeral.
As for ever playing choking games? Not in my wildest, worst nightmares would this ever occur to me as it is my worst fear, to have no air; in fact, it is worse than my fear of heights, of spiders, of just about anything. My ex-husband once stuffed snow in my face, we were rough-housing in the snow, and for a minute I couldn't breathe because the snow went up my nose, and he said he'd never seen such a look of panic on anyone's face. What a complete nightmare.
Trish, nothing wrong with over protective parents.
Pirate, I have the same fear of being held under water. I never shared my fear with during childhood because that would mean others would take delight in holding me down.
I am Scott Metheny and have done many presentations on this topic. I have to comment to B2. You said that you hope your kids are smart enough to avoid it.Well, they wont be unless you educate them. Think of it this way, someone comes up to your child and says, "Do you want to play a game?" Like most children your child says yes. They then say, "Ok, bend over and take ten deep breaths. Now stand up and cross your arms." Someone else now squeezes them from behind and within 10 seconds they are out.
So this whole event takes less than 30-40 seconds all because your child wanted to play a game. The only way a parent can protect their child from this is to educate them. You wouldn't send your child to school to take a test on something they have not learned about because they would fail. So how can we send our children out in the real world when their friends may test them. We have to prepare them for this. Tank you for reading this.
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