Stay Plugged-in: A Deadly Game

There’s a new game in town!  And as someone who is concerned about this present generation of teens, it is a dangerous one in which you need to be educated. I have recently been made aware of the dangers of this act as a close friend’s brother died while playing this new phenomenon called the “choking game,” also known as the “pass out game,” “funky chicken,” “space cowboy game,” and “gasp.”  This act is a form of self-asphyxiation in which a student cuts off oxygen to their brain using a belt, rope, sheet, scarf, etc.  When he/she feels as though they will faint, they then release the restraint from around the throat.  When the pressure is released, blood rushes to the brain creating a “high.”  Fainting can easily occur if the restraint is not removed quickly enough.  The obvious danger is that if a student passes out before releasing the restraint, he/she essentially strangles himself/herself.

Students get off on this dangerous new buzz with others often at parties, school, or at home alone. Many students, especially teen boys, have taken self-asphyxiation to an entirely new level -- masturbating while limiting blood flow to the brain.  They believe that this act will heighten their sense of sexual pleasure.  What they don’t realize is that this activity is also extremely deadly.

The effects can:

• Kill brain cells
• Cause seizures and strokes
• Lead to death

Signs your teen may be playing the game:

• Marks on the side of neck
• Flushed face
• Intense headaches
• A rope, belt, etc. continually lying around

Your teen or the teens in your youth group may never have played this game.  But chances are they are aware of it.  Remember: teens aren’t always direct, but they need us to be!  Talk with them now about the dangers.  Remind them that just because this craze may be the new “high,” it is no game!  It is risky and a matter of life or death.  Remind them of Proverbs 14:12 (NIV): There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death.

*** This is an excerpt taken from the E3 Update – the official newsletter of Jeffrey Dean Ministries. To receive this free newsletter, click here.