Chocking on Silence
The silence was deafening.
The empty desk, the shocked classmates.
He's dead.
The news conveyed through an email.
What? Not possible!
He was in class just yesterday,
Healthy, happy, joking around.
His brother found him.
His brother will never be the same.
Rumors abound,
Students whisper,
Parents speak out.
A once lively young man, deceased.
And anger mixes in among the sadness.
Why?
Because of the deadly "game" the student "played,"
A young life is literally choked out.
Space Monkey, the Choking Game, Blackout….
This so-called game answers to many names –
Names both educators and parents should learn to recognize.
Keeping it a secret won't keep the kids from trying it.
They already know the details.
It's the educators and parents who need educating.
Ask the students – they'll tell you exactly what this game entails.
Why play?
The euphoric feeling experienced without drugs or alcohol.
Well-adjusted students find this a "legal" way to get high.
Kids egg others on – "It's no big deal, feels great, can't get hurt."
Wrong! NO safe way to "play".
Why dangerous?
Choking, cutting off the airway –
A necessity to achieve results.
And even if luck should have it, and death is deferred,
Brain cells die, brain damage occurs.
Yet the biggest danger may be the lack of adult knowledge
About a "game" that will only continue to morph
Into something
More addictive and secretive.
What can we do?
As educators and parents –
Arm ourselves with information
That we are not afraid or embarrassed to pass on.
Become familiar with the many different names:
Space Monkey, Fainting, Pass Out Game, Rising Sun,
Cloud Nine, Ghost, Purple Dragon….
Become familiar with the signs:
After being alone – disorientation,
Around the neck – red ligature marks,
Around the eyes – pinpoint bruising,
An unusual need for privacy,
Items – belts, t-shirts, bed sheets – tied in odd places….
Listen, listen, listen:
Pay attention, take a step.
We may be the last chance
Between that child and a noose –
Between a life saved and a life lost!
Knowledge is power –
Let's arm our children, not bury them.
Melissa Wilson
Dumas High School
For more information:
The DB Foundation: Dangerous Adolescent Behavior Education
GASP – info, along with a powerful video
Tweens & Teens News
Downs, Martin. "The Highest Price for Pleasure." Medicine Net
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