Why do gay men do poppers

Poppers are popular drugs used during LGBT Pride Week. Learn about their effects and how to use them responsibly. Poppers in the LGBTQ Community The connection between poppers and the gay community likely began in the s. Although the exact timeline is unclear, pharmacies started noticing that healthy young men were frequently requesting amyl nitrite, a why do gay men do poppers originally used to treat chest pain.

Gay and bisexual men, on the other hand, have little exposure to huffing but tend to think of nitrite poppers as fairly benign. Poppers have been used regularly—predominantly by queer men—as an aphrodisiac to enhance sex & to take the proverbial edge off since the 's. Poppers were well established in the gay community, with more than a third of gay men in the United States having used poppers at least once.

[56] Poppers were partial inspiration for songs such as Troye Sivan 's song "Rush". Our Programs. Family Support Groups. Find out the answers to these questions and more with Psychology Today.

Danger to Gay Men Huffing Poppers - Cliffside Malibu

Cliffside Malibu is here to support you in your search for an alcohol-free life. Constance Scharff Ph. Holistic Therapies. They are little more than a footnote at the back of most addiction textbooks, lumped in with sniffing glue and huffing aerosols, even though the physiologic effects are quite different. About the Author.

Interaction with Medications: Poppers can dangerously interact with certain medications, especially those used to treat erectile dysfunction, leading to severe hypotension. Trauma Therapy.

Monica L. How many are you ready to try? Life never gets easier. So why do many risk it? Reported alkyl nitrite exposures more than doubled in the U. What to learn more? Participants in a new study have reported a small but growing and worrisome trend among some gay American men. Read Our Blog. Common varieties include amyl nitrite, butyl nitrite, isobutyl nitrite, and isopropyl nitrite.

Yet researchers say there's a clear through why do gay men do poppers of why gay men still sniff poppers today — just as much as there's reason for anyone to heed warnings about possible dangers. During this time, poppers were embraced as a means to enhance sexual experiences and to facilitate a sense of community and liberation in the wake of the Stonewall Riots and the burgeoning gay rights movement. How quickly do the effects of poppers manifest and how long do they last?

It is difficult at this point to estimate the prevalence of this new huffing practice.

Alkyl nitrites

Consequently, even addiction specialists and LGBTQ specialist clinicians often have little familiarity with the mechanism of these new poppers and tend to assume that they are more or less similar to other inhalants. Education is an important key to prevent this risky behavior and the resulting consequences. Education and open dialogue are vital in promoting a health-conscious approach, ensuring that decisions made are in the best interest of individual and community health.

The FDA has warned against using poppers following an uptick in reported deaths and hospitalizations after people have inhaled or even more dangerously ingested them. Whippets refer to nitrous oxide canisters used for recreational inhalation.