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Relix Reports: Digital Drugs & I-Dosing

That kids are now posting videos of one another on YouTube trying out the various types of doses hasn’t helped quell parents’ concerns. One of the most popular- and of the free ones offered by the I-Doser- is kids listening to the “Gates of Hades.” Check out this clip and this clip of kids on a serious “trips.” Many of the Internet posting talk about how brave” these kids were to do it (no, seriously). We don’t know what about you, but if someone offered us a drug that referenced a place where people go to die and suffer an eternity, we’re not sure we’d really be up for it (let alone listen to something that gave us that feeling).

Maybe you want to be touched by The Hand of God like this kid or this one. This kid on the nitrous seems to be enjoying himself more than this kid who’s feeling the weight of Greek mythology.

Worried that the digital drugs would lead to more harmful addictions, the school sent letters home to parents warning them of the possible “dangers.” What those dangers are, however, remain debatable.

“It’s unlikely to cause any problems,” Harriet de Wit of the University of Chicago told LiveScience. She also added that any physical highs associated with the practice are more likely linked to the user’s expectations rather than legitimate biological effects. In an interview, I-Doser.com owner Nick Ashton addresses the issue by explaining that using the site is completely safe, but any user should “be aware that this is causing a modification of mood.”

“Any method that involves experiencing a simulated mood or experience should be taken seriously,” he said.

Although the act of I-Dosing itself has not proven to be harmful, narcotics authorities in the U.S. are concerned that searching for a more intense effect will lead I-Dose users down the path to more harmful practices or addictions. Concern mainly lies in the fact that the marketing of the digital tracks plays largely on drug culture terminology. Additionally, I-Doser offers visitors the opportunity to make big money as a dose dealer.

The media coverage of the Mustang High incident increased traffic to the site, according to Ashton. The PC Player Application alone has had over a million downloads since the story broke. Of the I-Doses, Ashton says that the binaural sequences were “highly technical tones that take years to develop.” He also claims that he has been selling mood-modifying tracks for ten years and his site is not the only one to promote the benefits of aural stimulation. Similarly, according to i-dose.us, the tracks on the site’s “Binaural Beats” list may help listeners quit smoking, relieve PMS and relieve pain.

Critics of the commotion made over the practice argue that I-Dosing could easily be renamed “iMeditation” or “iHypnotherapy.” Similar to I-Dosing, mediation, which consists of deep concentration on a specific thought or awareness, is considered to be one of the oldest forms of mental, spiritual, health practices in existence. Many also argue that the practice is no different then listening to songs that trigger similar feelings and, therefore, banning the practice would have to include banning much of radio, television and the Internet. What happened to the times when people would just put good ‘ole satanic messages or hidden messages in music?