Choking Game, Snorting Cinnamon Among Dangerous Teen TrendsCHARLOTTE, NC-Teens are finding dangerous ways to push the boundaries. Local experts say they're getting riskier with frightening new trends like "The Choking Game". "One person will be choked until right before they pass out. The air wave is restricted which basically shuts off brain function which then leads to hallucination," said Clint Grant, prevention specialist at Annuvia Prevention & Recovery Center in Charlotte. Grant says he and other specialist are seeing experiments like "The Choking Game start as early as age 11. "This generation is all about risk taking and so they're always wanting to one-up one another and be that new sensation and having that 15 minutes of fame," said, Grant. Many upload YouTube videos showing them snorting cinnamon, smoking candy and mixing over the counter medication with soda. "It has a lot to do with culture. Several hip hop artists rap about purple drink and dirty sprite," said Grant, "They look up to those individuals so they feel like it's ok... I want to emulate my role model." A lot of times, kids are using stuff they can find in the house like cough syrup and cinnamon. Sometimes it's even candy. That easy access is a big reason why Annuvia specialists like Grant are going into community center and school educating parents about these dangerous trends and what to look out for. Teen and family counselor Leslie Petruk says over 90 percent of her teen clients are exposed to drugs and alcohol. She says there are warning signs of these extreme trends. "If you see their grades drop unexpectedly. If you seen them spending more time alone or just significant behavioral changes, you need to really sit down and talk to your child," said Petruk. Annuvia Prevention and Recovery center holds education programs for parents and teens in CMS about these trends. For more information, visit: http://www.anuvia.org/page.php?pid=14 |
Most PopularWhat's On TonightFull Schedule
8.00
so you think you can dance
|
Most Popular