Nov 4, 2005 10:27 am US/Pacific
Special Report: The Choking Game
by Kim Mulvihill, M.D.
(CBS 5)
It is a game with some deadly consequences, and teenagers are playing it to get high.
"It's kind of like a dream like state like nothing is going on," says Sam, who was 13-years-old when he would play with his twin brother Gabriel.
The Northern California twins choked each other to pass out, and get a rush.
"You get a strange feeling because you don't remember anything," Sam says. "Then foof, it all comes back within a couple of seconds."
Sam's brother Gabe, an honor student, figured out how to play all alone, using a rope. Six months later, he accidentally choked himself to death.
Sarah Pacatte is Sam and Gabe's mother. She continues to mourn for her son, and she is not alone in her grief.
"I turned completely around and there he was, hanging by a rope," recalls Trina Alcott, who says the choking game was responsible for the death of her 13-year-old son Kodee. "I really wish they wouldn't call it the choking game, because it's not a game. It's death."
The activity has been linked to at least eleven deaths in children across the country over the past ten months.
"This is knowledge not just in bad schools and bad neighborhoods," says Dr. Sam Judice, an expert on children and risk taking. "Eventually the thrill of just doing it for a moment isn't enough. You need to do it more frequently, for longer periods of time."
Kids usually play this game in secrecy, behind closed doors. While it has been around for decades, some experts say the Internet has helped it grow in popularity. Our own search uncovered a number of chatrooms featuring the subject. So, if you think your child doesn't know about it, think again.
"I hear about it in the private schools, I hear about it in the public schools," Sam says.
Dr. Judice says choking induces a near death experience.
"You're killing some brain cells," Judice says. "You're killing some part of your body."
The sensations kids feel are in their brain cells actually dieing and releasing neurotransmitters, as well as blood rushing back into their heads.
"While this feels like a heightened experience of life, it's rather a step toward death," Judice says. "Some kids cross the line and kill off too much, and actually die."
The mothers of Kodee and Gabriel know just how quickly that can happen. They also know there were warning signs that may have been missed. In part two of "The Choking Game," we talk about how to spot those warning signs.
For more information on Kodee and Gabriel, see:
http://kodee-alcott.memory-of.com/About.aspx http://stilllovingmygabriel.com For information on the choking game, see:
http://www.teenchokinggame.com/ http://journals.aol.com/floralilia/http://www.houseparent.net/Invision/index.php?showtopic=188
(© MMV, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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