Parents, educators learn more about deadly act

Stewart Smith

Scott Metheny educated area teachers, parents and teenagers on the grim reality of a so-called game claiming the lives of children in Texas and around the world.

It goes by many names like Space Monkey, Funky Chicken, California High or the Flatliner but is most commonly known as The Choking Game.

It is the act of inducing unconsciousness or near-unconsciousness by restricting the supply of oxygen to the brain and creating a feeling of euphoria.

However, as Metheny, a police officer from Upper Moreland Township, Pa., said, it is a game that nobody wins.

“What they don’t realize is the feeling they are getting, that rush, is actually their brain dying,” Metheny said.

Metheny has given his presentation on The Choking Game to more than 100 audiences across the country and did so Wednesday night in the Killinger Auditorium at Sam Houston State University.

Playing The Choking Game, Metheny said, can and does lead to permanent brain damage within as little as three minutes.

“They will not be the same person ever again after that,” he said.

In addition, playing the game can lead to stroke, a vegetative state and even death.

“The goal is to stop right before they faint but there is no way to know when that is going to happen,” Metheny said. “Each time is different for each person.

“Other things that happen can happen when they faint are various injuries, including broken bones, concussions, major eye injuries, they can die just from the fall alone.

“It is never safe, even when playing it with a friend.”

Metheny said knowledge of the game is more widespread than most parents think, noting he has even heard of first-graders who are aware of it.

“When I go to a school, on average about 75 percent of the kids in the audience raise their hand when I ask if they know about it,” Metheny said. “But only about 20 percent of parents know about it.”

So how should parents and teachers approach kids about the real danger the choking game presents?

Metheny said a direct approach is often best.

“Be blunt with them, upfront,” Metheny said. “Work with whatever works with your kids. But we need to address this and not beat around the bush or try to hide it as something it is not.

“They know about it, their friends know about it so be upfront about it so they recognize it when someone does talk about it.”

Metheny said the warning signs of playing The Choking Game can include bloodshot eyes, frequent headaches, marks on the neck, locked doors, knots tied around their room and wear marks on the bed post or closet bar.

However, Metheny added that simply because a child exhibits similar signs doesn’t mean they are playing the game, or, conversely, some kids may exhibit none of the aforementioned signs before trying it for the first time.

Such was the case with Blake Sandel who died after what his mother Chalene Sandel is convinced was her son’s first attempt at the game.

“Not a single sign,” she said. “I could be wrong, but in my heart I am certain that was his first time. Like Scott said, the kids who do it are good kids.

“They don’t drink, they don’t do drugs. Blake had a lot of integrity and I’m convinced that’s why when he did it he did it alone because it would have compromised his integrity.”

In March, Blake’s father, Byron, found him dead in his room after suffering from self-inflicted asphyxiation.

Charlene Sandel is adamant in her crusade against the game and said parents and teachers need to be treat it as the deadly killer it has proven to be.

“We call it a game, but every time we speak of it we need to call it the deadly choking game because it is a killer,” she said.