PARADISE, Calif., July 28, 2005
'Choking Game' A Deadly Trend
Teens Sometimes Suffocate Selves Seeking High; Problem Growing
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Play CBS Video Video Kids' Deadly Choking Game A growing number of kids nationwide are taking part in the deadly trend called "the choking game." The Early Show's Hattie Kauffman has more.
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(CBS/The Early Show)
"The thing about it is," Pacette continued, "with Gabriel, the day before, I had said to him, 'What's that?' Pacette gestured to her neck. "I had the week before looked at Gabriel, and asked about his eyes being so red."
One of Gabe's last school assignments was an autobiography called "All About Me."
In it, he wrote that he wished he hadn't gotten in so many fights with his brother.
"Can you believe that your brother's gone?" Kauffman asked Sam.
"In a way, but like, not really, sometimes," Sam responded.
"Like you expect him to still be here?"
"Yeah, sometimes," Sam answered as he wiped tears from his eyes.
"Is it hard to believe that a 'game' could cost his life?"
"Yeah," Sam said, still crying.
Pacette is certain her son's death isn't an isolated incident.
Dr. Shapiro, the child psychologist, agrees: "We now think, going back, that some young adolescents, and that's really who we're talking about, who might have been ruled as suicides, were really playing this 'choking game.' "
"The Choking Game" isn't considered a new trend, Kauffman adds. Kids who've tried it say they learned "The Choking Game" from older kids.
So, this may be another opportunity for parents to talk to their kids about resisting peer pressure, Kauffman points out.
The room Sam used to share with his brother is all his now. The bunk bed has been removed. On the wall is a star chart. The family has registered a star in Gabe's name. And Sam has chosen one for himself, next to his brother's, so he'll still be twins with Sam, up in the sky.
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