Poppers: Explaining What You Were Ashamed to Ask About

You’ve probably heard the term “popper” come up in sexual connotation in various occasions, and most of the time, it was followed by awkward giggling. You realized that everyone seemed to know very well what it referred to, except for you. So naturally, you were too ashamed to ask about its meaning, so you just smiled and let it slide. And here you are, moments later, googling and trying to find what your friends were so enthusiastically talking about. Feels like discovering a whole new world, right? I know. Let’s get to the basics of it.

Amyl nitrate, or what we refer to as a popper, first originated in 1844 as a vascular dilator medicine helping people suffering from angina. Treating angina was amyl nitrate’s sole use for more than a hundred years, until it was replaced with a better and more convenient medication – nitroglycerine tablets. However, it occurred to someone that its vasodilation and muscle relaxation effects combined with the sudden rush and euphoria it triggers, make it perfect for some other “activities”.

And that’s how poppers and their most popular brand, the Jungle juice popper came to existence. Today, they are specifically used for recreational purposes either as a club drug or to stimulate and intensify sexual pleasure, and sometimes even both. Poppers come in a liquid form and only a small whiff of them is enough to make you high for a short time period. When inhaled, these chemicals decrease the heart rate and dilate the blood vessels, which in turn relaxes the muscles.

People having trouble loosening up in the bedroom swear to this drug’s miracle effects in improving their sex lives. By relaxing the muscles, poppers also succeed in relaxing the mind and eliminate the psychological barrier that stops people from enjoying themselves. The effects of taking poppers are short-term and usually last as long as 5 minutes. After the high has passed, there are virtually no side-effects, besides the occasional headache.

Poppers used to be exclusively associated with the gay community for quite some time, but have now gone mainstream even with some politicians who have admitted to occasionally take them. The stigma surrounding poppers slowly starts to fade away, and in countries where it is legal people can find them sold in sex shops, night clubs and even in markets. For those who feel a bit uncomfortable purchasing them in person, there’s also a wide range of poppers on the online market. However, know that there should be no shame in using this relatively safe drug to get your juices flowing in the bedroom.

Sniffing a small amount of this juice popper can affect you on both physical and mental level. The combination of the two can and does allow for some exhilarating experiences. However, when using poppers, keep in mind that they are very potent on their own and should not be mixed with other vasodilators such as Viagra, Levitra or Cialis. If taken together with some of these drugs, poppers can cause a dangerous decrease in blood pressure and lead to a stroke or a heart attack.