Warning To Parents: “Choking Game” is Popular, Dangerous

A new study published in the medical journal Pediatrics reports on the prevalence of youth participation in a dangerous strangulation game, commonly referred to as the “Choking Game” [1]. The game involves obstructing blood flow to the brain by tightening a scarf, rope or belt around the neck. When the belt is removed and blood returns to the brain, the participant experiences a euphoric high. The game, researchers report, is played purely for the purpose of experiencing a high; it is non-sexual in nature and is not the same as autoerotic asphyxiation.

Belt