There are a lot of substances that have been used over time to alter one’s state of mind. We have talked about the effects of drugs like cocaine and heroin, prescription drugs, and household chemicals. The unifying factor of all these is the fact that they are chemical substances. Various news reports, though, talk about a new way that kids are said to be using to “get high”: the so-called “digital drugs.”
“Digital drugs” are described as sound waves that can have the same effect on the brain as chemical drugs. A feature on The Seattle Times talks about a brand of digital drugs called I-Dosers, which is said to be gaining popularity among teenagers; but there are experts who are skeptical about the effects that these “digital drugs” will have on a person.
Some parents who have learned about this new “craze” of sorts are worried. Will it be digital drugs today, then more hard drugs tomorrow? Will “digital drugs” be the new “gateway drug?”
The concept behind digital drugs is something called binaural beats, where one frequency plays in one ear while another frequency, slightly different, plays in the other ear. These sound waves can be downloaded as MP3 files or played through special software that reads .DRG sound files; the I-Doser free software is said to be the second most downloaded program in the science category of CNET.
While there may be insufficient scientific evidence to support the claim that I-Dosers can mimic the effects of chemical drugs, we agree with the opinion of Jose Szapocznik of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, who said: “When your child is looking for an altered state of consciousness because they’re bored, or because their world is painful for them … that’s what parents should be worried about.”
Tags: digital drugs, e-drugs, online drugs
