Hundreds of children have died across the country attempting to get a "high" during an activity called "the Choking Game". The game, also called rising sun, suffocation roulette and space monkey, kills nearly 1,000 children a year.
The game, ussually attemtped by children 10 to 16 years old, cuts oxygen to the brain for a brief high or euphoric state. The pressure on the arteries is then released and blood flow to the brain resumes, causing a "rush" as consciousness returns. "They don't know how close to the edge they are", Orange County Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Marie Hansen said. "When oxygen doesn't get to your brain, you have a matter of seconds before you pass out, and a matter of minutes "til you're dead".
The Choking Game achieves a brief high or euphoric state by stopping the flow of oxygen containing blood to the brain. Sometimes children choke each other until the person being choked passes out. The pressure on the arteries is then released and blood flow to the brain resumes causing a "rush" as consciousness returns. The danger becomes even greater when a ligature is used and the activity is performed a a lone child. If the child loses consciousness and there is no one there to IMMEDIATELY release the pressure, he is unable to help himself, and will suffer brain damage and death after THREE minutes.
Parents, please talk to your children about this deadly game, and tell them to refuse to participate and to let you or another adult or if in school, the monitors, counselors and administration know if anyone tries to talk them into it. |
