Poppers

Popular for decades in dance culture, poppers is a term for the group of chemicals known as alkyl nitrites, including amyl nitrite, butyl nitrite and isobutyl nitrite. They come as a clear or straw-colored liquid in a bottle or tube which is breathed in as a vapor through the mouth or nose. Trade names of over-the-counter versions include Ram, Thrust, Rock Hard, TNT and Liquid Gold. As opposed to the other versions, Amyl Nitrite is a prescription-only medicine. When we tried poppers, the head-rush was extreme and intense, but very brief. This rush is caused by blood vessels enlarging and dilating as the user’s face and neck becomes flushed. The effects completely fade 2 to 5 minutes after use, leaving us with a bad headache afterwards. Regular use causes skin problems around the mouth and nose, and if spilled, poppers burn the skin. Poppers are usually fatal if swallowed, and they have been mistaken for other drugs such as GHB in the club scene, leading to catastrophic results. Although not physically addictive, their continued use easily becomes habitual, sometimes resulting in long-term neural and psychological damage. Like all club drugs, the price the user might have to pay for using poppers is not worth the divergent effects produced by the drug.