It sounds like science fiction or an Internet hoax. Are teenagers really getting high and becoming addicted to certain kinds of sound waves?
"Digital drugs" could become a fad that won't go away. More than 1000 people a day are downloading free software to listen to the sounds, according to the Seattle Times.
The sounds are supposed to produce effects similar to certain drugs, including increased blood pressure, rapid pulse, and involuntary eye movements. The digital drugs are low hums, sometimes mixed with ocean sounds. Each ear hears a different frequency, producing an effect called "biaural beats." Some compare it to meditation.
People at the National Institute on Drug Abuse told the Times reporter that they had not heard of the phenomenon. Some experts say if your teen is downloading the digital drugs software, it may be a red flag that he is experimenting with real drugs.
A professor of pharmacy calls the whole thing "nonsense."
Labels: addiction
Posted By: Jane St. Clair