CDC lists 82 dead in "choking game" fad

[Bikewer]

In an AP article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080214/ap_on_he_me/choking_game_3

The CDC for the first time issued numbers for annual deaths attributed to teens playing "the choking game".
The phenomenon itself is nothing new; people have been indulging in "autoerotic asphyxiation" throughout history. Usually, deaths are isolated and accidental.
Often, there are signs of (often kinky) sexual activity at the scenes of such deaths, which are profoundly disturbing to surviving family members. As a result, it's not unusual for these deaths to be reported as suicides, rather than as a result of autoerotic activities.

The AP article seems rather sanitized, with mention only of "getting high" and not the usual sexual involvement.

We had a local incident here locally about 6 years ago, where a group of 6 young lads were found dead. Evidently, the leader of the group had misread the instructions for the supposedly "quick-release" knots to be employed.... First reports were rather sensational, with mentions of serial killers and satanic cults and all.
I wonder just how widespread the practice is...

The late John Money, the sex researcher, wrote an entire book on the phenomenon. (The Breathless Orgasm.)

[Matthew Best]

people have been indulging in "autoerotic asphyxiation" throughout history.

I've always wondered who the first person who figured out that strangling himself enhanced orgasm was, and what the hell was he thinking? :jaw-dropp

[Drudgewire]

I've always wondered who the first person who figured out that strangling himself enhanced orgasm was, and what the hell was he thinking? :jaw-dropp
"Gimme what you need. Gimme what you need."

[Puppycow]

Other popular teen games include the blugeoning game, the wood chipper game, the drowning game, the jumping off a cliff game, the lying down on traintracks game and the running across a highway game.

:dl:

[~enigma~]

Somebody want to explain why the CDC did this. I mean this isn't a disease is it??

[OldTigerCub]

Somebody want to explain why the CDC did this. I mean this isn't a disease is it??

The CDC keeps statistics (http://www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics/) about injuries and deaths related to all sorts of causes, including traffic accidents, violent crime and workplace accidents.
I think one could, however, consider "the choking game" a disease if it could be classified as "terminal stupidity".

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

I first heard of autoerotic asphyxia from one of George Carlin's routine about two years ago. Who knew? And the existence of the choking game is another thing that the JREF taught me. The mind reels.

One thing that confuses me: how is even possible to masturbate, ejaculate and free yoursself from the duct tape/ noose/ whatever without passing out first? Most people can't even hold their breath for more than 20 or 25 seconds.

[Matthew Best]

You'll never know till you try!

[~enigma~]

The CDC keeps statistics (http://www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics/) about injuries and deaths related to all sorts of causes, including traffic accidents, violent crime and workplace accidents.
I think one could, however, consider "the choking game" a disease if it could be classified as "terminal stupidity".
Nice to know our tax dollars are wisely spent. Isn't there already a Bureau Of Vital Statistics that can do it instead of wasting Center for Disease Control funds and manpower on something so trivial.

[gumboot]

I first heard of autoerotic asphyxia from one of George Carlin's routine about two years ago. Who knew? And the existence of the choking game is another thing that the JREF taught me. The mind reels.

One thing that confuses me: how is even possible to masturbate, ejaculate and free yoursself from the duct tape/ noose/ whatever without passing out first? Most people can't even hold their breath for more than 20 or 25 seconds.


Maybe it's more popular amongst people who suffer from premature ejaculation.

[gumboot]

Nice to know our tax dollars are wisely spent. Isn't there already a Bureau Of Vital Statistics that can do it instead of wasting Center for Disease Control funds and manpower on something so trivial.


And where do you propose this Bureau of Vital Statistics got the funds and manpower to maintain these trivial statistics? Not to mention the extra cost required to establish and maintain an entire government agency just to do something so trivial.

[bignickel]

Idiots removing themselves from the gene pool? Without taking any non-idiots with them, like drunk drivers do? Terrific, as far as I'm concerned.

[~enigma~]

And where do you propose this Bureau of Vital Statistics got the funds and manpower to maintain these trivial statistics? Not to mention the extra cost required to establish and maintain an entire government agency just to do something so trivial.
Extra cost? You mean there isn't a Bureau Of Vital Statistics?

[Complexity]

Natural selection.

[LostAngeles]

I first heard of autoerotic asphyxia from one of George Carlin's routine about two years ago. Who knew? And the existence of the choking game is another thing that the JREF taught me. The mind reels.

One thing that confuses me: how is even possible to masturbate, ejaculate and free yoursself from the duct tape/ noose/ whatever without passing out first? Most people can't even hold their breath for more than 20 or 25 seconds.

You get a similar effect from hanging your head over the head of the bed or hanging upside down somehow.

[LawnOven]

Hey, the choking game; I remember some people doing that in Middle School. Didn't seem very safe at the time...



One thing that confuses me: how is even possible to masturbate, ejaculate and free yoursself from the duct tape/ noose/ whatever without passing out first? Most people can't even hold their breath for more than 20 or 25 seconds.

Ejaculate? Hell, I know a woman who died of auto-erotic asphyxiation. Oh the poor relatives that had to explain that one to grandma.

[bignickel]

(Clyde Bruckman, who has the ability to see how people will die, is talking with agent Mulder)
Clyde Bruckman: You know there are worse ways to go, but I can't think of a more undignified way than autoerotic asphyxiation.
Mulder: Why are you telling me that?
X-Files, "The Last Repose of Clyde Bruckman"

[CFLarsen]

Nice to know our tax dollars are wisely spent. Isn't there already a Bureau Of Vital Statistics that can do it instead of wasting Center for Disease Control funds and manpower on something so trivial.

How do you determine which statistics are "vital" and which are not?

Why is collecting information about scores of deaths not "vital"?

[baron]

Nothing new. I remember it was all the rage 30 years ago when I was a kid. What you'd do is hold your breath for as long as you could then someone would squeeze you as hard as they could under the ribs. I tried it once but as the result was breathlessness and sore ribs I questioned the merit of further involvement.

[~enigma~]

How do you determine which statistics are "vital" and which are not?

Why is collecting information about scores of deaths not "vital"?
Your not reading again. I said the statistics should be kept by the bureau of vital statistics. I'm not too surprised that you intentionally misread though.

[Rolfe]

An English MP died this way some years ago. There were black fishnet tights and an orange involved, It turned out he'd been registered with dating agencies, trying to find a girlfriend. It was all desperately sad.

It's the plot of one of the more recent Dick Francis thrillers too - Wild Horses.

Rolfe.

[richardm]

Nothing new. I remember it was all the rage 30 years ago when I was a kid.

Same here. It certainly worked but I wasn't particularly keen to repeat the experience, although some of my friends did. We were, however, just smart enough not to fasten dog leads or bungee ropes around our necks. (And there was no sexual element to it either although I did once catch a glimpse of Andrea Poppleton's thigh).

[CFLarsen]

Your not reading again. I said the statistics should be kept by the bureau of vital statistics. I'm not too surprised that you intentionally misread though.

No, I just misread it. I have no idea why you attribute the worst motives to me.

[~enigma~]

No, I just misread it. I have no idea why you attribute the worst motives to me.
THINK

[Skibum]

Your not reading again. I said the statistics should be kept by the bureau of vital statistics. I'm not too surprised that you intentionally misread though.

What is this bureau of vital statistics you speak of? The one managed by the
CDC? http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss.htm

Or are you talking about the state run ones?

[Overman]

Is this how poor kids are getting high now?

[~enigma~]

What is this bureau of vital statistics you speak of? The one managed by the
CDC? http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss.htm

Or are you talking about the state run ones?
State...I don't even see the need for a department of the CDC to be involved. CDC is the Center For Disease Control And Prevention. Seems to me they have more important tasks than counting deaths of people by autoerotic asphyxia.

[shadron]

Your not reading again. I said the statistics should be kept by the bureau of vital statistics. I'm not too surprised that you intentionally misread though.

I don't know what they do in your state (and the Vital Statistics function is a state function), but here in Colorado they are responsible for birth, death and wedding certificates. The name is old, and comes from a time before we determined there was a need to keep information on how people died, not just when and where.

This data on how is collected by police and public health officials, who forward it onto the CDC. Really, who cares which bureaucracy they use? Surely, you don't think they pull a medical research fellow out of his lab to do this on a weekly basis, right? Uhhhhh..... well, perhaps that not a totally convincing argument....

The CDC no doubt maintains a trained crew of beancounters just for this task, probably in a bunch of trailers surplus from NASA out behind the CDC center in Atlanta. The funders of this frippery are your elected officials, who want to know whether there were really 82 losers in this game last year or rather 83, in which case they need to find a multi-million dollar university project to determine what these people really NEED, and why they aren't getting it. Don't look in the CDC's journal for the answer to that, though.

[CFLarsen]

THINK

And I don't care.

[~enigma~]

they are responsible for birth, death and wedding certificates.I bolded the relevant part. So death by autoerotic asphyxia isn't death? Surely, you don't think they pull a medical research fellow out of his lab to do this on a weekly basis, right? Uhhhhh..... well, perhaps that not a totally convincing argument....That isn't what I said is it?

[Skibum]

CDC is the Center For Disease Control And Prevention.

Yes that is their name, their function includes much more than just disease control and prevention though.

http://www.cdc.gov/about/organization/mission.htm

Seems to me they have more important tasks than counting deaths of people by autoerotic asphyxia.


It's their task to monitor causes of death and report dangerous trends.

State...I don't even see the need for a department of the CDC to be involved.

I do, what might be an isolated incident in an individual state could be an alarming trend at a national level.

[~enigma~]

I do, what might be an isolated incident in an individual state could be an alarming trend at a national level.
And what exactly will knowing that allow? A national ad campaign saying autoerotic asphyxia leads to death?

[Skibum]

And what exactly will knowing that allow? A national ad campaign saying autoerotic asphyxia leads to death?



As far as I'm concerned a simple press release is all that's needed.

As a parent I like to keep up on what stupid fads kids are trying these days.
According to the article up to 20% of teens are experimenting with choking themselves, I find that rather disturbing and it's not something I would have thought of to discuss with my children.

Hopefully, I can keep my four in the four out of five that don't try it.

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

My question was, how is successful asphyxia even possible?

And if there's anyone who can answer this: just in case, what should you do if you find someone passed out from that?

[imagineNoReligion]

I seem to remember that there was some speculation that this is how Michael Hutchence (INXS) died. That was the first time I'd heard of it.

[four elevener]

You'll never know till you try!


But if you try, you might die.

[TragicMonkey]

My question was, how is successful asphyxia even possible?

And if there's anyone who can answer this: just in case, what should you do if you find someone passed out from that?

With the aid of tools, such as a rope or belt.

I'd assume the proper thing to do would be to call for emergency medical assistance, and if they aren't breathing to perform CPR.

[Francesca R]

Idiots removing themselves from the gene pool? Without taking any non-idiots with them, like drunk drivers do? Terrific, as far as I'm concerned.Why do you want idiots to kill themselves? If you had a child who was not as intelligent as you wanted, would you be happy if they managed to kill themself?

I do, what might be an isolated incident in an individual state could be an alarming trend at a national level.I agree.

I like to keep up on what stupid fads kids are trying these days.Ditto, I see such data collection as in the public interest.

[Bikewer]

As I mentioned, there is at least one full book on the subject; The Breathless Orgasm by John Money:

http://www.amazon.com/Breathless-Orgasm-Lovemap-Biography-Asphyxiophilia/dp/0879756640/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203350841&sr=8-1

The technique is properly performed by an experienced assistant; it's the solo practice that so often results in accidental death.

I don't think one can classify most of these people as "unintelligent" folks best removed from the gene pool, rather they are indulging (to their hazard) in a recognized practice.

I suppose it might be interesting to get some actual numbers; I doubt if any such exist.
Perhaps the practice is less dangerous than rock-climbing or base jumping.