(United States) — Music is to teenagers and young people what the discipline of silence is said to be for spirituality. Adults are not even close to being excluded from the influence and powerful attraction of music, but when it comes to the younger crowd, music is almost vital.
As vital as it can be, music can also be harmful; particularly when teenagers and young people use it to produce effects similar to illegal drugs like marijuana or cocaine. That is exactly what a growing trend among kids consists of: listening to music to get high.
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Getting high with music –also called I-Dosing– is closer to a young person’s mind, as close as it can be. This “drug” can be easily reached through a natural combination of a teenager’s favorite pastimes: the Internet, an MP3, and a set of earphones.
If you are a concerned parent and believe this article is just going to give unhealthy ideas to your child, perhaps you may be interested in knowing that I-Dosing even has a website entirely dedicated to the topic. After all, getting high with music is not illegal. At least not yet.
The site, called I-doser.com, presents itself as the “leader in binaural brainwave audio doses,” and promotes its products as something that can “powerfully alter your moods.” The site has a media social presence in popular sites like Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, yes, the virtual communities your kids likely hang out with their friends for hours.
Binaural waves are a scientific fact and the subject of neurophysiologists’ research, but the phenomenon consists, essentially, in sound frequencies and how the brain perceives them. The use of binaural waves is anything but new, but its use by teenagers to purportedly cause in them illegal drug-like effects is considered a recent trend.
So what exactly is I-Dosing? Basically, I-Dosing consists in listening to music, mainly repetitive, tedious sounds or beats. A calm mood and atmosphere, a dim-lit room, silence and a quality set of stereo headphones supposedly maximize the effects. As the annoying “music” is self-induced and its intended effects reach the brain, it allegedly produces sensations and moods similar to drugs like Ecstasy.
Ecstasy produces pleasurable effects in users, like increased energy of self-confidence. Other Ecstasy effects generate feelings of acceptance or peacefulness. However, some YouTube videos show opposite effects when young people induce themselves into I-Dosing.
The fact is kids can and are getting high by listening to special music based on monotonous tones and beats that can be found on CD’s or MP3’s and listened to on Ipods, Iphones or personal computers. Many of the YouTube videos about I-Dosing claim the effects are similar to cannabis or cocaine. Several users of the super popular self-broadcasting site have uploaded from songs to self experiments to actual I-Dosing sessions. Other users mock and deny such effects.
Also known as a digital and legal drug, I-Dosing is similar to illegal drugs. You find a “dealer” on the Internet who “hooks you up” with the “drug” by using your earphones as “drug paraphernalia.” I-doser. com even offers “free doses” for individuals who are 18 years of age or older, according to its disclaimer.
How dangerous is I-Dosing? I-Dosing is not really a drug. However, I-Dosing music seems to cause at least a temporary altered state of mind. In any case, if parents feel they should seek professional help, they should do so without hesitation.
© 2011 – 2023, Eduardo Barraza. All rights reserved.
