There is a line here, that I would like to gently remind people, about kink shaming. Some people are into choking/breath play that
is fine and should not be seen as 'weird', just because you don't like it or aren't into it.
HOWEVER (and this is a big however), it - and I mean anything kinky, and I would probably extend this to a lot of sexual conduct in general, even 'vanilla' things that we all accept as part of sex - should never happen without discussion. But this is especially true of dangerous kinks like breath play.
I do not like to be surprised by someone's kinks. I talk to them about what they like, sexually, very early on. I don't assume that they are into the same things as me. And I want reassurance that they know what they are doing, and are going to be careful.
One of my partners is into breath play - we both like it, and we switch as to who is dominant. We have learnt about it very carefully, we do it very safely, and we are careful how far we push it, and we maintain excellent communication throughout. I would absolutely never be into it with someone who just put their hands around my throat. To me, that would say that have no respect for consent, they haven't talked to me about it, I have no idea if they know what they're doing and how to keep me safe.
Kink is definitely becoming more mainstream - and that's both good and bad. Because it's good that people who have these desires feel less shamed about it...but it also means that there are many people (who, let's face it, probably weren't great at the whole consent thing when the mainstream was vanilla) who just take advantage of it to be arseholes. I'm really sorry, OP.
I think, in general, I would recommend just being really upfront with someone, and asking them if they are into any kind of impact or breath play, and saying that it's not for you, and not taking it further or wasting your time. It's absolutely fine to be into what you're into, and no one should make you feel otherwise.