Have You Ever Heard Of "The Choking Game"?

[Rutabaga]

One of my co-workers just lost her 14-year-old son. He was found dead by hanging. Although he was a very troubled boy and suicide seemed very possible, I also began to wonder if perhaps it was a case of auto-erotic asphyxiation gone wrong. His mother came in to work briefly this morning, and sure enough, she said that evidence in his room suggested that that was exactly what he was doing.

It turns out a lot of people at work had never heard of auto-erotic asphyxiation, which is also known by the phrase "the choking game." I'm not going to go into any details about it here...if you're not already familiar with it, just Google one of those phrases and you'll find all the information you need. It's been speculated for years that that was what Michael Hutchence of INXS was doing when he hanged himself. I've read articles about it over the years, and they always come with warnings for parents because it seems like it's almost a silent epidemic...kids are always looking for new ways to get high, and a lot of kids die every year because it goes horribly wrong.

My hope is that, out of this sad event at work, maybe other people will end up approaching their kids and see if there's anything they want to talk about. And that's my main reason for posting this here, so that if this isn't something you're familiar with, you can learn more about it and make sure that no one you care about is doing anything foolish.

All I know is...I've been in the working world for 25 years now, and this is the first time I've ever had to contribute money to a fund to help a co-worker bury her child :(.

[Rhianna]

:(

I know what it is. I've seen reports on it and such. That is so awful. I'm so sorry. :hug

There needs to be more education out there on topics like that. It's a sick world we live in anyways. They'll find out on their own, or something bad will happen.

:(

[Kraehe Branwen]

My brother did it once and my mother just about kicked his butt. Given he was 18 or 19 at the time but thats no excuse, he still should have known better. If I were in the state I would have given him a royal beating too. :mad I'm sorry for your coworker's loss. I don't understand what the fixation with danger is with today's youth. It worries me when I look at my children and wonder just what new fads are going to endanger them when they are older. There's this, mattress surfing, and tons more of dangerous things kids seem to enjoy doing. Apparently for a while canned whipped cream was banned for a long time from grocery stores because kids were somehow getting high on the condensed air inside of the can. It's ridiculous what kids come up with nowadays. I remember when my parents were shocked by my sliding down the banister.

[Khendon Sevon]

Oh, let's not pretend danger is new. Please.

We just now have a form of instant communication that allows those with less insane imaginations and less crazy experiences to view a sampling of the insanity that is society.

One of the oldest professions is prostitution.

Young boys would run away to join large sailing ships on their travels across the cold and unforgiving sea.

Men would rush off into the forests to hunt dangerous animals simply for the thrill.

Rock climbing and mountaineering are the oldest extreme sports and have been a means of enjoyment (rather than a life necessity) for over two hundred years.

Various drugs have been used in societies since forever. Including beer and alcohol.

Man has killed man since the dawn of time. It isn't always for economic or religious reasons.

To add to it all: We now have leisure time aplenty. That entails finding activities to fill said time. Guess what? Excitement comes from risk taking. When your life is otherwise bland... well, there ya' go.

Anyway, I'm not trying to be cold or anything. It's a horrible thing for a young person with a future to die. My condolences.

Never the less, it's nothing new. That's my point. Let's not pretend that there's a sudden surge of deviant behavior. There's just a more acute awareness of said behavior.

That's why it's imperative for parents to provide their children with solid foundations for decision making, life, etc. Hell, I just came back from climbing rock formations encrusted with ice at 14,400 feet in a foreign country without any chance of a rescue if myself or a team member broke something.

I took a chance. Sure, it was calculated and I have extensive amounts of training and a level of experience; but, you know what? I'm sure that kid felt he had things under control, too.

Apologies if I come off as cold or some such thing. It's really a tragedy that the kid died; just, it's not a stark water stain in an otherwise perfect piece of alabaster cloth.

[Kraehe Branwen]

I'm not saying danger is new, I'm saying the things that kids come up with are new and more and more dangerous than in previous years.

[Eluna Thals]

What's the difference between this and sniffing? The desired effect and the risks are the same.

[Khendon Sevon]

They might be new; but, they're not more dangerous.

[Turbogeek]

I'm not saying danger is new, I'm saying the things that kids come up with are new and more and more dangerous than in previous years.

.... You mean they copy what the parents did and claim it's new. I have not heard of a single dumb dangerous thing kids do today that they claim is fresh and exciting that I didnt either see or do myself 20-25 years ago. And it certainly was not new and refreshing even then. And in fact I would say witht he nanny state in full force, the access to supplies that can really result in some very lethal thrill seeking is considerably harder.

Like my old hobby of blowing anythign up that didnt move. A lot of those ingredients are now restricted or just plain illegal and not availible.


Rock climbing and mountaineering are the oldest extreme sports


While I do agree with the general gist otherwise, this is so not true. They even made a oscar winnign movie of the oldest and most extreme of all extreme sports in 1999 starring Russel Crowe.

[Eluna Thals]

While I do agree with the general gist otherwise, this is so not true. They even made a oscar winnign movie of the oldest and most extreme of all extreme sports in 1999 starring Russel Crowe.

Pankrateon & Olympic games pre-date the Imperial Antonine Ludi by a good 700 years or so & also have body counts :)

[Khendon Sevon]

Pankrateon was... wicked. I especially like what happened if the sun went down. Nutty Greeks ;)

[Kraehe Branwen]

Turbogeek, you mattress surfed. o.O

[Turbogeek]

Turbogeek, you mattress surfed. o.O

In the ocean, behind a car, behind a tractor, behind a boat or a steep grassy drop? One of them I didnt do before I was 20. And I'm 38 now.

I've bare foot water skiied at over 160 kph, I've jumped off bridges, I free climbed insane rock walls, I've car surfed, broken into drainage systems and DRIVEN in them (I even made the front cover of a major newspaper's Saturday magazine pulling that stunt)..... mattress surfing is tame.

I'm sorry, but whatever kids claim they have done, I bet the parents did worse :)

Three months ago, I put a race car off after screwing a jump up at 140+ kph. So I'm STILL doing dumb things even!


Pankrateon & Olympic games pre-date the Imperial Antonine Ludi by a good 700 years or so & also have body counts

HAHAHA, yes of course, there was that too :)

But you can go back even further than that for similar games and sports that rated in the lethal and extreme levels.

Now get the hell off my lawn you young brats. Your ruining the reception of my Marconi as I listen to Al Jolson

[Khendon Sevon]

...I free climbed insane rock walls...


Free Climb - v. The act of making upward progress using only your hands, feet, and other body parts for purchase on the rock, as opposed to direct aid where the climber’s weight is supported by a sling attached to a device attached to the rock. When free climbing with a rope, the game is to never rely on the rope for assistance: it is there to catch you only if you fall. Contrast this with aid climbing in which your feet are in slings or stirrups and your hands are free (generally) to place the next piece of gear that will support your weight. While free climbing, you are using only your hands, feet, legs, hips, butt, back, chest, and shoulders to keep yourself from falling, and none of your weight is supported by slings or the rope. ~ Rockclimbing.com Dictionary


Free Solo - v. To free climb without a rope and without protection. A fall is likely to result in serious injury or death. Usually distinguished from climbing high boulders in that free soloing implies a climb of a pitch or more. Contrast with the term highball. ~ Rockclimbing.com Dictionary

Just making sure we're understanding each other here. I free climb all the time. I don't solo climb all the time, though. And, yes, I have solo climbed; but, only when necessary (mountaineering, time critical safety concerns).

I've met lots of non-climbers that like to solo climb. Of course, if you're not using climbing gear, and aren't a veteran solo climber with years of actual climbing experience, you're probably 4th class climbing or low 5th class. What's insane is that there are professional solo climbers who do very difficult climbs. It's awe inspiring.

// end climbing elitism

In high school, my friend's brother and his friends decided to attach a table to the back of a quad and try and surf on it. The result was: one spent the entire summer with a back brace after virtually wrapping his body around a street sign.

People, often times, do less than logical things. Sometimes it's a calculated risk... other times, it's just dumb.

[Mu Satach]

I've dodged bullets! but the bbs were too fast.

I actually knew a guy in high school who played the choking game. I think we started telling him that the next time he wanted to pass out that badly we could help him with a baseball bat.

I'm very sorry to hear about your co-worker's son.