>> Dangerous Games Kids Play (02/2007)

Behind the Badge: A Message from Sheriff Ted Mink

In January 2007, a 12-year-old boy from south Jeffco died in his home.  The coroner found that the cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation.  The boy died playing a game: "the choking game."

The Choking Game
The choking game is not new.  Usually, a group of children will gather around one child who willingly submits to being "choked" by a friend.  The purpose of the game is to feel lightheaded before fainting.  The game has many other names, including Space Monkey and the pass-out game.

The choking game is dangerous because it's not actually choking.  It's strangulation.  Strangulation cuts off breathing, but more importantly, it cuts off the supply of blood and oxygen to the brain.  It can take only moments to cause permanent brain damage this way. 

But this game is even more dangerous, and in some cases deadly, when children play it alone.  The boy who died from the choking game died because he was playing the game alone, and when he quietly hung himself there was no one around to save him.  This was not a suicide.  Sheriff's Office interviews revealed that he had played the game many times before.

Huffing
Huffing, also called puffing, involves inhaling vapors from household items as common as a can of cleaning spray or whipped cream. Spraying the propellant into a bag or rag and breathing the fumes can produce a "high." Other items that can be huffed or sniffed include markers and gasoline.  Among the most dangerous and most common inhalant is spray paint, especially metallic colors.  Inhaling spray paint or other toxic chemicals like it can cause brain damage or death.

Legal Drugs
Abuse of prescription drugs has surfaced as a recurring problem among kids. This kind of drug abuse may include ingesting or selling prescriptions belonging to friends or relatives, purposely taking too many of one's own prescription, or taking excessive amounts of over-the-counter drugs.  In late 2005, in a case that made the news, a student at a Lakewood high school brought a family member's morphine capsules to school to sell to other students.  The buyer ingested the morphine and became ill, but lived.  More recently in Jefferson County, school resource officers have noticed a trend in students ingesting alcohol-based herbal supplements in large volumes.  As any doctor will tell you, ingesting drugs in a manner not prescribed can be extremely dangerous. 

The Irony
The irony of some of these games is that in many cases, the "good kids" are the ones playing.  Kids who choose not to drink or use illegal drugs may believe that these games represent safe or legal ways to have a good time.  Also, children as young as elementary school can be involved in these activities. 

Please talk with your children about the potentially deadly consequences of these activities.  A simple Internet search for some of the topics above will reveal many resources for parents, including warning signs.

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Last Modified: May 20, 2009 11:03 AM