Dying to "fit in"? Deadly games kids play!

I live in a fairly small town of roughly 15,000. When I heard about this "game" young people were playing at a recent middle school birthday party, I'll admit I was shocked and dismayed.
What is this "game"? The "choking game." It has other names ("aliases" below), but the intention of this "game" is to purposely cut off the blood flow to the brain, causing the individual to lose consciousness.
Why are young people doing this? Partly because they have been duped into thinking it is a "safer" way to achieve a short lived "high" then illegal drugs. Kids in elementary and middle school in my town are now having school assemblies to educate adults and hopefully dissuade young people from "playing" this deadly game. Even if an individual does not die or have seizures the first time they try it, does not mean that they will not the next time! The "prizes" in this game are injury, brain damage, and death.

Choking Game Warning Signs

	Any suspicious mark on the side of the neck, sometimes hidden by means of a turtleneck, a scarf or a permanently turned-up collar
	Changes in personality, such as overly aggressive or agitated.
	Any kind of strap, a rope or a belt lying about near the child without any reason – questions about such objects are often eluded.
	Headaches, sometimes excruciatingly bad ones, loss of concentration, a flushed face.
	Bloodshot eyes or any other noticeable signs of stress on the eyes.
	A thud in the bedroom or against a wall – meaning a fall in cases of solitary practices.
	Any questions about the effects, sensations or dangers of strangulation.
	Choking Game aliases: Blackout, Fainting Game, Space Monkey, Dream Game, Suffocation Roulette, Pass-out Game, Flat liner, California Choke, Space Cowboy, Airplaning, Purple Dragon and many more.

There are excellent web sites that can give much more detail than I can, please check these links out! If you are an adult, please talk with your children about this. If you are a young person, please... think twice before you die trying to "fit in" or have a short lived (and life shortening) "high."
Choking Game Education: Save your child's life, be informed, be aware!
Choking Game could cost young lives.
Children Play a Dangerous Game
Connect with Kids: the choking game.
"Choking Game" A deadly trend.
Information and links to help raise awareness about the choking game.

Song of the Week: "Trying"...

"Trying"
by Lifehouse
http://www.myspace.com/lifehouse

"Could you let down your hair
be transparent for awhile
Just a little while
to see if you're human after all

Honesty is a hard attribute to find
When we all want to seem like
we've got it all figured out

Well let me be the first to say that I
don't have a clue
I don't have all the answers
ain't gonna pretend like I do

just trying - to find my way
trying - to find my way the best that I know how.

Well I haven't memorized all of the cute things to say
but I'm working on it
Maybe I'll master this art form someday

If I quote all the lines off the top of my head
Will you believe
that I fully understand all these things I've read

I'm just trying - to find my way
trying - to find my way
trying - to find my way the best that I know how

Well I haven't got it all figured out quite yet but
even if it takes my whole life
to get to where I need to be

And if I should fall to the bottom of the end
I'll be one step back to you, and

trying - to find my way
trying - to find my way
Oh I'm trying - to find my way
trying - to find my way."

(lyrics © by the artist & used for educational purposes only)

selah

Song of the Week: Less Like Scars

"Less Like Scars"...
By Sara Groves,
http://www.myspace.com/saragroves
"It's been a hard year
But I'm climbing out of the rubble
These lessons are hard
Healing changes are subtle But every day it's...

Less like tearing, more like building
Less like captive, more like willing
Less like breakdown, more like surrender
Less like haunting, more like remember

And I feel you here
And you're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
But you are able
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars and more like
Character.

Less like a prison, more like my room
It's less like a casket, more like a womb
Less like dying, more like transcending
Less like fear, less like an ending

And I feel you here
And you're picking up the pieces Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
But you are able
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars...

Just a little while ago
I couldn't feel the power or the hope
I couldn't cope, I couldn't feel a thing
Just a little while back
I was desperate, broken, laid out, hoping
You would come...
And I need you
And I want you here
And I feel you...

And I know you're here
And you're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful It seemed out of my hands, a bad, bad situation
But you are able

And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars...

And more like...
Character."

(lyrics © by the artist & used for educational purposes only)
selah

Mental Health Tip of the Week: "Boundaries for Beginners"

There is much to be read on "boundaries" out there. This will just be a "boundaries for beginners" overview.
Learning how to set boundaries is a vital part of learning to own yourself, of learning to respect yourself, of learning to love yourself. If you never have to set a boundary, then you will never get in touch with who you really are--will never learn to define yourself in a healthy way. We all deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Boundaries are healthy and are not necessarily "barriers" but bridges toward healthy interaction between individuals.

There are basically three parts to a boundary. The first two are setting the boundary - the third is what you will do to defend that boundary.

1. Part 1: "If you" - Is a description of the behavior you find unacceptable (being as descriptive as possible).
2. Part 2: "I will" - Is a description of what action you will take to protect and take care of yourself in the event the other person violates the boundary.
3. Part 3: "If you continue this behavior I will" - Is a description of what steps you will take to protect the boundary that you have set.

If you set boundaries and do not enforce them, it gives the other person an excuse to continue with the same old behavior.

• Setting a boundary is not making a threat - it is communicating clearly what the consequences will be if the other person continues to treat us in an unacceptable manner. It is a consequence of the other person's behavior.
• Setting a boundary is not an attempt to control the other person - although some of the people who you set boundaries with will certainly accuse you of that - just as some will interpret it as a threat. Setting a boundary is a part of the process of defining yourself and what is acceptable to you. It is a major step in taking what control you can of how you allow others to treat you.
• Setting a boundary is not a more sophisticated way of manipulation - although some people will say they are setting boundaries, when in fact they are attempting to manipulate. The difference between setting a boundary in a good healthy way and manipulating is this: When you set a boundary you let go of the outcome.
• Setting boundaries reflects your right to say "NO" to those things that aren't right for you.

Be ready, you'll likely be tested when you set boundaries!

Setting boundaries means that you are taking responsibility, being adult and expecting equality and respect in a relationship.


mental health