making urself faint / passout

[evedawn]

is it possible? I think not. But someone said they used to make emselves faint to get out of school assembly by.....putting piece of chalk undder their tongue? old wives tale or fact?

[gazzawazza]

I did it once in the 70's when I was about 11.
Our method involved breathing in and out very deeply and then crouching down and holding your breath then standing up again. As a few of us had tried it (all with "success") we had taken to having someone standing behind us to catch us when we fainted. The trouble was I fell forward and banged my face on a fencepost!
I know I definitely wasn't faking it!