OT: The Pass Out Game

The fainting game, also commonly known as the choking, good kid high or the pass out game, is a loose term that covers dangerous activities designed to induce a partial or complete loss of consciousness brought about by the intentional deprivation of oxygen to the brain for a period of time. There are two distinct methods used to achieve oxygen deprivation: strangulation and self-induced hypocapnia.

This is just a short description of this "game" that kids think is cool!
I am baffled by how many kids (kids that I know!!) think this is a fun thing to do. They claim right before they pass out they see something (experience a hullicination) and they think it's amazing! I think it's absurd and have heard of kids dying because of this. The kids I know assure me that as long as you know what you are doing, it's ok. But if you don't, then it's dangerous and stupid. These are young teens. Am I crazy??? I'm only 22 and I certainly do NOT think this is cool by any means. Nor would I ever want to try something like this.
What is your honest opinion on this, especially those with children, how would you feel if your child was doing this "hip new thing"? Personally, I think they are playing with death.

[rubyolivia]

I did it in junior high all the time! lol We called it "against the wall". Probably stupid, but I lived through it.......and don't think I fried TOO many brain cells along the way! :)

[heatherlynn22]

i've heard of kids doing that and a lot of the ones who "knew what they were doing" dying. it's so ridiculous what kids think up. who in their right mind thinks it's a good idea or ok to either choke themselves or get choked to get high???? stupid stupid stupid.

[jenstam]

Well, it's not new. I did it all the time with my brother, cousins, friends. Dangerous and stupid I see it as now though! Scary, we had no idea what we were messing with.

[chantal21]

I know it's not new, but kinda new to me I guess. I've heard of it a few years ago, but didn't think much of it. Now I just think it is crazy and a dumb thing to do. I'm sure when you guys were younger you didn't think about it, so I don't blame you or anything, I just didn't think I would actually know someone personally who thought it was cool! (mind you this person is almost 19 and thinks it cool to do it on his younger brothers, who are just barely teens, well the one is only 11 or 12 and the other is maybe 13 or 14.)

[GRose]

I used to do this with my friend and her older sister, I was only 10, I had no idea how dangerous it was, it scares me to think of what could have happened...

[wanttobeamumagain]

Everyones right its not new. Im 34 and remember the kids at school doing it, but i wasnt that stupid.

[tam2girls]

I just have to add that this is not something new. I was doing this when I was little with a group of older kids 17 years ago. So we are all stupid and I never heard of anyone dying. But having said that I would not want my kids to do it and if they were I would encourge them not to.

[kellym]

I'm so glad all of you fessed up!! I was going to but kept skipping the thread, ha ha!!  I didn't know it was so serious. I remember all the hype a couple of years ago.  Raising kids these days is so scary!

[jenstam]

Oh man...so stupid! I'm 36 and we did this when we were 14, 15, 16. I stopped when a friend of mine passed out and hit her head on something. She stayed out for quite sometime and then came to with a big bump on her head. She was fine after that, but man...so dangerous...you don't think when you're young!! I suppose we thought it was fine...we were just having some fun, laughing at each other once we went out and acted funny and we weren't using drugs. Never even thought it was something that could take out lives or cause any damage! It makes sense now though! I hope my kids don't do it! I don't think my parents ever knew we did though. Maybe I should ask them about it and tell them how dangerous it is!

[chantal21]

I know kids are always curious about things, but I hope my kids never try something like this. It is a pretty stupid thing to want to mess with. Like jenstam said about her friend passing out and hitting her head on something...that could have caused permanent damage, thankfully it didn't though. But it is definitely scary that friends of mine think it's "cool". Ahhhh raising kids is scary!

[melaniewilliams]

OMG!!! i have never heard of this! i live in the uk. it sounds so dangerous and crazy!

[kjbutcher]

I saw on Dr. G medical examiner a story of a kid who got punnished and was playing this game by himself in his bedroom with a belt.  he didnt undo the belt quick enough and passed totally out, making it impossible from him to take the belt off and he died. VERY SCARY that kids are thinking this is not dangerous!!

[pcarsey]

If you have seen the movie World's Greatest Dad, then it shows what can happen. The boy in the movie (I hope this isn't a spoiler for anyone who hasn't seen it) did this while masturbating and he died from it. You mix the high from doing this and masturbating and it can be fatal. It is an excellent movie by the way. There are many things in it but the one thing I am referring to is it shows parents that there are some things that can be avoided if you just talk to your children and not "let it pass". At least that is what I got from it.

Some of my friends did it when I was a teen, but I was too frightened of death and passing out to me was considered close to death....lol

[jenstam]

The masturbating and doing it by yourself is a whole different realm. They are both dangerous but I think it is much more likely to be deadly when done alone or for other reasons. What I was referring to was just a bunch of kids pressing on the sides of the neck until you get lightheaded and things go fuzzy gray. Again, not safe and definitely not something I would recommend and will be talking with my kids about! But, not quite the same thing as the kid who does this alone in his or her room with a belt or rope. Scary!!

[mum2beagain]

Gosh, I have never heard of it either. I must have led a sheltered life!

[chantal21]

Oh wow...the belt thing is crazy!! How sad.

mum2beagain...like I said I never heard of it until a couple of years ago...I think I have lived a very sheltered life..haha. Maybe it was a good thing....kept me out of trouble.

[amy0013]

This is how actor David Carradine died a few months ago...except he was doing it for sexual pleasure like someone else mentioned.  Google it!  :)

[chantal21]

Wow...I was not aware of doing this along with sexual pleasure....boy...I really have no clue what's going on in the world!! lol