A new trend at some high schools is causing concern among parents and administrators and growing concern for medical personnel and drug enforcement agencies. This new trend is called “i-dosing.” Accordingly, some schools in Oklahoma are warning parents to be aware of what they are calling a “digital drug.”
According to sources, this is not isolated to the Mid-West. These types of digital drug tones have been in known in Northern California schools for several years. One source relates knowing of them for about three years, when introduced to them by another student. He also states that the person who first introduced these digital tones went on to more serious drugs. According to websites offering this, these “drugs” are “totally legal,” and describes them as “brain entertainment”, or even “a total mind buzz.”
This “i-dosing” was said to be the cause of what appeared to be intoxication at an Oklahoma high school, among “good students” who would normally not be associate with this type of behavior. Apparently, students reported that they experienced this “euphoric” feeling when they listened to special tones downloaded from sites on the internet. (Those sites will not be listed here for obvious reasons.) According to NewsOK.com, users listen to the downloaded tones through headphones and the tones in each ear combine to create a “binaural beat designed to alter brainwaves.” This is said to create a “drug-like euphoria in listeners/users.”
Drug Abuse researchers and enforcement officials are more concerned with the psychological effect rather than any physical effect. These digital drugs produce what experts described as a placebo effect, having no real neurological effect to the brain. Unfortunately, it is the temptation that is causing alarm through many schools and drug enforcement agencies.
Professionals believe that young people who may be tempted to experiment with these digital drugs are likely to move on to harder, more dangerous mood altering substances. If a young person is curious and likely to experiment with digital drugs, they may end up looking for a “better high” from drugs like marijuana or worse. The other concern is that people who download these tones and are disappointed in the experience may look for alternatives. Some of the downloads are titled “opium”, “alcohol”, or “marijuana”, further enticing users to experiment with “the real thing.”
Some people may not believe that these digital drugs pose any risk, or have any effect on the human brain. On the contrary, mental health researchers have been using binaural tones in research for many years. Both the University of South Florida and the University of Virginia have been studying the use of sound in mental health therapies for several years. Some mental health therapists use sound therapy because it lacks the intensity or withdrawal effects of many chemical therapies. Experts say that these binaural are relatively safe and are no more dangerous than many other activities, but, unfortunately, the long term effects are unknown.
Above all, parents are advised to monitor their children’s internet activities and download. Although these digital drugs pose no real, known danger to the brain, the desire to look for mind altering substances is something to be concerned about and be aware of. If a teenager has headphones on all the time, parents should make an effort to find out what is going on. After all, one wonders what prolonged use and exposure might cause.
Next time: more about the security and privacy settings on Facebook and Myspace.
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