Stop the Choking Game

I am trying to warn people about the "choking game." It is a so called "game" where a person cuts off their oxygen and blood flow to the brain by strangling their neck (affecting the carotid arteries). Kids do this in groups to get a "high" which is the light headed feeling you get right before passing out. The problem with this is that they are killing hundreds of brain cells because of the lack of oxygen. Also, when they pass out they hit their heads on the wall, any surrounding objects, some have even said they have gotten stitches because the gashes were so intense. They knock themselves unconscious and can be out anywhere from 1 – 15 minutes. Many have been known to go into seizures and comas. This “game” is addicting which forces some children to play alone and use objects to tie around their necks and then to a stable object. This is way worse than playing with others because once you pass out and have the object tied around your neck there is no one to release the hold and you will become hanged. The most dangerous part of this issue is that parents don’t even know that their own children are doing it. If they don’t know the warning signs and symptoms how are they supposed to know what to look for. This is not a new issue. It has been around forever, still, nobody knows about it.