In a world where illegal drugs run rampant, did getting high just become much easier?  An online music site may provide a legal high that is undetectable, has no health side effects, and can be performed at your computer.  I-Doser is a new online service that sells musical tracks for prices between $1-$5 per track.  Each track in their library is named after a particular drug, both legal and illegal.  The tracks are supposed to give the listener a similar experience to that of the drug it is named after.  These tracks range from alcohol, to marijuana, to sleep aids, to ecstacy, to crystal meth, to heroine.  The site boasts itself as a legal alternative to the illicit drugs that are rampant today.  This sounds very interesting, but does it work?

In order to understand I-Doser, you need to understand the science behind the service it provides.  Each track produces its mental effects through the use of binaural beats.  For those of you who are not familiar with binaural beats, it is a concept which states that when two different tones are played in opposite ears, a beating sensation is created in the brain.  This beating sensation is the effect of the conflicting electrical signals in your brain’s wiring.  Needless to say, headphones are a necessity when trying to experience binaural beats because they allow a different frequency to be played in each ear.  In experiments over the last century, binaural beats have been shown to create different states of consciousness within an individual.  These states of consciousness are the result of different brain waves that can be induced in a person’s psyche through the beats.  If you are familiar with psychology, you know that there are four different sets of waves that are produced in our brain:  Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Theta.  When these brain waves are mixed and matched, I-Doser threorizes that the listener experiences a drug-like high or state of consciousness.

Now that you know the science behind it, we can look at I-Doser and its claims.  I-Doser offers countless tracks of just about every drug you can imagine, each one for purchase.  Just like I-Tunes, when you purchase a track, you have unlimited use of it.  You can play these tracks using the player that you download from their website.  If you are interested in testing I-Doser for yourself, the player comes with two free tracks, one of which is supposed to simulate alcohol.  It is strongly recommended that you try the sample tracks before you purchase any of the drug tracks because these do not work for everyone.  I-Doser states that there are three classes of people: Susceptible to Binaural Beats, Originally Unsusceptible to Binaural Beats, and Immune to Binaural Beats.  I-Doser does not offer refunds, so order wisely.  The service also makes a very bold claim that I took note of.  It states that drug addicts can use these tracks to supplement their drug addictions and break them.  This seems like an unfounded statement to me because I can’t figure out how listening to these could possibly aid in fighting a physical addiction.  In order to use I-Doser, you must go to a serene location, like your bed, and relax with no distractions but the music.  After a while, you should theoretically drift off into another state of conscousness.

The final question is whether these drug tracks are safe.  I have put considerable research into this and all the sources keep saying that using binaural beats is, in fact, very safe.  Apparently the brain will slowly adjust itself back to reality when the track is done playing.  Since it does not actually affect your body in any physical way, there is little to worry about.  However, the one safety concern I did see was a line saying that these binaural beats had a possibility of causing epileptic seizures in some people, much as bright flashing lights can.  Another concern that is not addressed is the possibility of something bad happening while you are “high”.  All the same effects as the drug are replicated, so driving after using the alcohol track would be a bad idea. 

I cannot tell you if I-Doser works or not.  That is something you will have to try for yourself.  The one thing I will say is that the idea behind it is very fascinating, and the consequences could cause quite a stir.  Things like DUI laws and drug testing would be obsolete to some using these beats.  This creates an enormous rift in drug laws, since it is essentially a legal drug.  The high you get from binaural beats is both undetectable, and as strong as the real thing.  It will be very interesting to see the response of the courts and law enforcement if this service ever becomes popular. 

For more information on I-Doser, check out their FAQ. 

Jason “J. Klein” writes for the College Critic blog, which he operates.  The College Critic covers a great variety of subjects and provides commentary from the moderate perspective of a college student.