Parents Beware of the Choking Game
It is called the choking game. The principle of the game is basically choke yourself, until you pass out or faint. Usually a rope is tied to a tree or something high. The rope is then tied in a noose, just like in the older days when people were hung. They take the noose and put it around their neck, bending their necks downward (creating the chocking effect). They then are suppose to hold their breath count to ten and then quickly raise up their body. Usually, what happens is that the child then feels a sense of light headiness and passes out, faints. This light headiness is what they consider the high.
It has been estimated that in the year 2004 five hundred children have died from playing this game. And it isn’t just teenagers, middle aged school kids are doing it as well.
But what is the worse fact is that this game has been played for this long and nobody is talking about it. Some parents do not even realize that this game exists.
Besides being called the choking game, some kids are calling it, the passing out game or even the fainting game. But it isn’t a game. It is an easy way for children to accidentally kill themselves and they are playing this game on a daily basis.
Like everything else in life there are a few warning signs for parents.
Watch for signs of bruises or red marks on your child’s neck. And of course beware if he or she is suddenly wearing turtle neck shirts. With winter approaching, it is an easy way to hide the marks.
Also pay attention if your child is suddenly developing severe headaches. Cutting off their circulation can definitely cause headaches to appear.
Watch for red eyes
Definitely check to see if belts, ropes or ties are suddenly appearing, especially if they are tied in a noose like way.
Locking bedroom doors suddenly is also a key that something could be wrong.
The best way to prevent your child from doing this is by talking. Make sure they realize what the consequences of this game is. They may not realize that this could led to death. Children seem to think they are invincible and nothing bad can happen to them. But it can. They could play this game hundreds of times. But it only takes one time for them to be dead.
If you are a member of a parent group or PTA, you may also want to warn other parents about this new trend. There are probably thousands of parents out there that never heard of the game or would ever fathom the thought that children would play something so deadly.
But in this day and age, children even more seem to like the thrill of danger the thought of doing something cool, like getting high. They know drugs as in the street type, are wrong and they can easily be caught if they try doing those. They also know street drugs can led them to big trouble. But games like the choking game, along with sniffing glue are ways that they can beat the system, get high and do it without their parents ever knowing. They also probably do not realize that it is a deadly game.
Sometimes the parents don’t know, until it is too late, until their child is dead. Don’t be one of those.
