The Choking Game

Let's admit it. We all do stupid things when we are kids. God knows I've done enough stupid things to warrant death many times over by jumping insane ramps on my bicycle. Hell, one time I jumped a ramp so big, my steel framed Sears Red, White and Blue Free Spirit broke in two on impact, right down the middle and left me riding the front half of the bike for a few seconds until I wiped out. When I brought the bike home, my dad just about had a coronary. He didn't buy me a new bike, he welded it and left me to repeat the incident once more. Hell, I was an Evel Knievel disciple. My dad then bought me a 10 speed in an effort to stop my insane ramp jumping obsession. I did an end around by beginning to build my own jumping bikes using parts from the neighborhood throwaways. Everytime I saw an old bike out on the curb for garbage pickup, I grabbed it and brought it home. I ended up with 3 or 4 jumping bikes that I could care less if I destroyed.

Now, this past weekend, I saw a news story about kids choking themselves with ropes or choking each other to get "high" and I shake my head. Apparently, the kids are choking themselves unconscious to get that "post-unconscious high". The story parades a host of mothers who lost their kids trying to invoke some sort of sympathy for their children who were just caught up in some "deadly game". I'm sorry, I just won't bite. You got to be pretty fucking stupid or demented to let someone choke you unconscious or even crazier than a shithouse rat to do it to yourself with a hanging noose. These kids deserve to die if they are that damned stupid. And I refuse to feel sorry for any of them. How does someone come up with an idea that they are going to choke themselves to near death to get a high? That is absolutely insane and I can't imagine that these kids aren't just suicidal. Of course their moms insist that they were healthy and happy. Typical parents living in denial. These are the same parents who tell teachers "My kids would never do that!". Maybe if they take a few seconds to plug into their kids lives instead of buying them crap they don't need, they'd have more of a clue. Strangling yourself is not a game, it is a sickness.

When kids get drunk or stoned, the purpose is to have fun with friends, even if it not entirely logical and misguided. What fun do you get when you are unconscious and wake up with an oxygen deprived headache? This is called depression and is a cry for help. This is called a suicide attempt, not a social activity.

Listen, I'm not a heartless bastard altogether. As a parent, I can't imagine the devastation of losing a child. What I take issue with is that parents are looking at this as it is something that kids are doing to have fun and that it is entirely unrelated to their kids' emotional state. They are insisting that as parents, they are powerless to stop it and are washing their hands of the responsibility of their children's deaths. That disgusts me. Kids do stupid things all the time. It is part of growing up. The Choking Game is not something kids do to have fun. It is a suicide attempt even if somewhat veiled under the guise of getting high. These kids need more parental contact and counseling. The Choking Game is not a random event like stepping in front of a bus or a stupid one like jumping a ramp over a construction area, it is mental instability and depression. I jumped ramps because I was happy emulating my hero and it gave me a rush of euphoria. I wanted to be the next Evel Knievel. Was it stupid? Hell, yes! But there is a fundamental difference between the two. Kids playing the Choking Game are only inspiring to die.

It's not a game. It's not an attempt to get high. It's a suicide attempt.