I-DOSING is a relatively recent phenomenon that allegedly creates a feeling of drug-like euphoria. Increasingly popular with Saudi youth, these so-called digital drugs use binaural or two-toned technology to alter a listener's mental state. Listeners, or i-Dosers, download audio tracks marketed on the Internet as “audio drugs. Popular among teenagers, the tracks are composed of high frequency sound waves that allegedly affect the brain by recreating a state of ecstasy for the user, who is required to listen to these atonal tracks with headphones while remaining motionless. Experts have long said that while digital drugs themselves cause no harm or addiction, they can be a gateway drug and eventually listeners to turn to hard drugs. In the Kingdom, at least one official voiced skepticism at the claims being made about digital drugs. Deputy General of the Anti-Drug Unit Maj. Gen. Abdullah Abdulrahman Al-Jameel said digital drugs are merely musical tracks that bear no real effect on the brain. Those who sell it as if they are drugs are just searching for fame and recognition. “Real drugs affect the brain and body and numb the person completely. We warn the youngsters from believing these false allegations. There isn't a single recorded case of digital drug addiction in the Kingdom,” Alsharq daily quoted Maj. Gen. Al-Jameel as saying. Basem Al-Madani, assistant professor in the College of Computer Science and Engineering at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, disagreed. He claimed that digital drugs affect the unconsciousness of the listener. These vibes are audio signals or sound wives transmitted from a website into the listener's ears. Digital drugs can be audial, visual or sensory and he warned that these drugs can be addictive and overdosing on them can lead to death. “The listener will feel ecstasy when listening to these digital drugs. After that, he will experience a hearing loss as a result of the pressure from the sound waves. This is known as sensory gating when the brain blocks out information to prevent overload. The listener does not realize that this is what is actually happening to him so he repeats the experience to regain his hearing. This leads to addiction and the brain will lose the ability to recognize that it is currently drugged,” said Al-Madani. He added that all types of digital drugs affect the unconsciousness directly and alter the listener's state of mind. These drugs also affect the neurological system and heighten a listener's sense of hearing. The ones that are at risk are teenagers as their hormones heighten the effect of the drug.
Individuals over 30 will not be as affected as teenagers. “The Kingdom must set regulations to block websites that sell these drugs.
They are merely files of information distributed on the Web. Getting a hold of these drugs is not a hard thing at all, especially with the advancement of technology and speed of the Internet,” said Al-Madani. Abdulaziz Al-Mutawa, head of the Counseling and Advising Center at the University of Dammam, said decision makers, academics and educators should interfere and raise awareness about the overuse of technology. “Now people are addicted to technology as they spend hours using their phones or glued to a computer screen. Using computers has become such a norm that no one is aware of the harm they are undergoing” he said. Al-Mutawa called on experts to offer alternative means of entertainment other than technology for the country's youth. He went on to claim that teenagers who use digital drugs are prone to defying social norms and have a mission to prove that they can listen to the drugs without getting addicted. “After the elation the drugs cause, the listener will be devastated to return to a more regular and less hysterical state of mind. He will need to undergo psychological therapy and counseling sessions. To control the phenomenon, we must raise awareness in mosques and schools. The people who spread awareness must be certified as it is an extremely critical matter,” said Al-Mutawa. Faisal Al-Ajyan, psychiatrist and addiction therapist, said spending long hours in front of a computer screen is a type of addiction. “It may not be cocaine, but it deludes the brain into needing certain substances or rays to function. The difference between digital addiction and other kinds of addiction is that digital addiction is a psychological addiction, which happens through electromagnetic waves, while other types of addiction are physiological,” he said. “Treating digital addiction is like treating any other type of addiction because the harm is the same.
Digital addiction may cause seizures, irregular heartbeats, difficulty breathing, a bulging in the eye, which can lead to death,” Al-Ajyan added. Eastern Province Police spokesman Col. Ziyad Al-Ruqaiti said the responsibility of combating digital drugs falls under the jurisdiction of the Anti-Drug Department and not the police.
