Choking game is an activity that is widely practiced by children from seven years onwards till twenty-one years of age for acquiring a legal high as a consequence of oxygen surge back to the brain following its severing off due to near-strangulation activity.

During 2008, the C.D.C cited 82 fatalities all in the ages from eleven to sixteen year olds, attributed to the choking game and other associated activities. In the current year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have come out with the outcomes of the foremost state-wide study and noted that 1 in 3 eighth grade going kids from Oregon were aware of the choking game whereas over 1 in twenty were participants in this sickening game. The female gender was an equal participant in such games in comparison to the boys.  Youth from the countryside area were noted to have a slightly greater likelihood of partaking in such near-strangulation games as compared to those youth living in cities. Also the survey revealed those with other mental health issues and substance abuse to be likely participants in such games.

The choking game is a popular practice among adolescents who deem it is risk-free. A latest survey showed that nearly half of the youngsters who were reviewed considered it was a safe game.

A research conducted by investigators from Canada noted that sixty-five video recordings about the choking game were uncovered from postings on YouTube over a time span of a mere eleven days. All these video recordings revealed varied methods of strangulating oneself and were watched over a lakh and a half times. Such video recordings conveniently evaded the crucial truth that children could face death due to engaging in such behaviours.

Even more appalling are the results cited by investigators from Children’s Hospital, Cleveland and the Rainbow Babies that mentioned about 1/3rd of the doctors reviewed were oblivious to the choking game and were unable to illustrate any of the caveat signs and symptoms that comprise of :

• Bruising or marks visible over the neck region resembling a hickie.
• Blood-red eyes.
• Dons clothes which cover the neck area despite sultry, tepid climatic conditions.
• Being confused or disoriented subsequent to being unaccompanied for some span of time.
• Discovery of strange objects like a dog leash, rope, scarf, bungee cord and belt.
• Acute, recurrent headaches.
• Cagey behaviourisms, irate and hostile.
• Blood loss underneath the facial or eyelid skin.
• Worn scratches on furniture like door handle, bed post. Line or rope observed to be fastened around door handles or furnishings.
• Repeated requirement to have alone time.

The report also cited that several adults inclusive of the kid’s parents and those individuals working closely with kids were unacquainted of the caveat signs, about the varying alias names given to the choking game like:

• California choke.
• The dream game.
• Purple hazing.
• Pass-out game.
• Fainting game.
• Space cowboy.
• Scarf game.
• California game.

All those doubtful of their kid engaging in such risky practices or having heard of such incidents in their localities need to be vocal enough to their child about the actual threats linked to the game like coma, fatality, likely brain haemorrhage, ocular haemorrhage and ruptured bones.

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