Tricia and Dennis

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There's a terrifying new trend sweeping the nation...and it's considered a "game" by many teens. Unlike reckless driving, teen violence and drug use, the choking game or "pass-out" game isn't illegal and is easily hidden from parents. But the consequences are just as deadly.

Using everything from shoelaces to belts to bike chains, kids cut off the oxygen flow to the brain, which creates a tingling sensation and causes a person to pass out. Children as young as 8 years old have started playing the choking game to get a quick high.

Usually, the unconscious state lasts only a few seconds...but some children never wake up. Dennis and Tricia, the parents of a thrill-seeking 16-year-old, first learned about the choking game in the summer of 2005. But the lesson came too late.