Connecticut Officials Say Middle-Schoolers Played Choking Game

Monday, December 22, 2008

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NORTH HAVEN, Conn. — North Haven officials are warning parents about the dangers of what's called the "choking game" after nine middle school students admitted they tried it out in school bathrooms last week.

The game involves actual choking to produce a euphoric, dreamlike feeling that comes when blood rushes back to the brain. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the game is linked to the deaths of 82 children from 1995 through 2007.

North Haven Middle School Principal Philip Piazza says nine friends decided to try out the "choking game" after reading about it on the Internet. He says the students told him they felt woozy and were close to passing out.

No one was hurt. Piazza says the students involved face disciplinary action.

Strangulation Activity

Long has been the debate over what exactly to call this activity. The media calls it 'The Choking Game', kids call it "Pass Out" or 'Blackout' and the CDC will be calling it "strangulation activity".

After reading the article here: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/ and the following part:

Toblin says the idea for the name switch came up when she first presented data from that study to a group of physicians. One of the doctors was Katz, who suggested that a more ominous name might drive home the point that it's serious business. Katz and Toblin reason that, just as calling motor vehicle accidents "crashes" suggests that they are potentially preventable and thus allows for taking steps to prevent such events, so might calling the choking game "strangulation" allow for a different, more effective set of interventions.

It makes some sense. However, strangulation only encompasses a few methods of The Choking Game. Would the popular chest compression method be excluded from the parameters of this title?

Just our food for thought. What are you thoughts on the term "strangulation activity'?

For the blog readers, you're getting a sneak peek at the latest statistics.

It looks like we have much work ahead of us.

Many states had a 4x increase in reported Choking Game deaths since the 2006 reporting.

North Carolina is sadly at the top of the list. In 2 short years, fatalities have increased 10 times what they were in 2006. In 2006, Texas reported 4 fatal Choking Game incidences. By the end of 2008, they had reported 23.

ATTN: Parents of Choking Game Victims

As we embark on another new year The DB Foundation and ChokingGame.net are gaining great ground and opening new doors for education and raising awareness of the Dangers of The Choking Game. More and more school districts and medical professionals are becoming aware of the severity The Choking Game poses to the children they interact with, our children!

Learning why children would 'play' the Choking Game is greatly attributed to families of Choking Game victims who have been able to share their story's details with us. With this information we can compile the hundreds of individual specifics and find common ground that needs to be addresses. Every piece of information aids in the design and implementation of education and prevention.

Almost a year ago now, the US CDC released it's findings for how many children have died as a result of the Choking Game. Admittedly, their number of victims (82) was extremely low. This gross inaccuracy was partly due to the criteria to be counted in the study. For example, one criteria was: Information about the victim involved in the Choking Game must have been released in the media. Naturally, many grieving families shun the media at such a time, and that child was not among the 82 counted.

The rate of death and injury is staggering. Many have said that we are only reaching the tip of the iceberg with hundreds per year. The DB Foundation has working relationships with the CDC and other like agencies to provide the necessary information to ensure as accurate numbers as possible in the future. This, in turn, increases awareness within these agencies and will raise a red flag for needed prevention measures. If the one thing all grieving parents have in common is that they never want another parent to feel the pain the know all too well.

If you are a parent of a Choking Game victim and you have not already submitted a "Parent Survey" please do as soon as possible. The survey has a new user friendly all inclusive format combining Victim Database information, Victim Tribute requests and Incident Information all in one place for your convenience.

Thank you for your time and for being able to share details that are often difficult to think about. Please remember, this will save a family the pain of losing a child to The Choking Game.
CLICK HERE: "Parent Survey"


or copy and paste into your browser window:
http://www.emailmeform.com/fid.php?formid=22902

A Christmas Poem for Bereaved Parents

My First Christmas in Heaven I see the countless Christmas trees around the world below.
With tiny lights, like Heaven's stars reflecting on the snow,
The sight is so spectacular, please wipe that tear,
For I am spending Christmaswith JESUS CHRIST this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear,
But the sounds of music can't compare with the Christmas choir up here,
I have no words to tell you of the joy their voices bring,
For it is beyond description to hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me, I see the pain inside your heart,
But I'm not so far away, we really aren't apart,
So be happy for me, dear ones, you know I hold you near,
And be glad that I am spending Christmas with JESUS CHRIST this year.

I send you each a special gift from my heavenly home above,
I send you each a memory of my undying love,
After all, love is a gift more precious than pure gold,
It was always important in the stories Jesus told,
Please love and keep each other as my father said to do,
For I can count the blessings of love He has for you.

So have a Merry Christmas and wipe away that tear,
Remember I'm spending Christmas with JESUS CHRIST this year.