What to Use Instead of Poppers?

Poppers belong to a group of nitrites called alkyl nitrites. Often, they are marketed and sold as deodorizers, but they are mostly not used to eliminate strong odors.

Poppers have become the poster substance to get high and enhance sexual sensation, especially within the LGBTQ+ community.

Poppers have an intense smell and can be fatal when inhaled directly. So it would be best if you didn’t get involved with them.

There are natural ways to feel euphoric or improve your sex life without inhaling the vapor from poppers.

In this article, we review other things you can use instead of poppers and the risks of poppers.

What to Use Instead of Poppers?

As euphoric and sensational as poppers can be, they are dangerous to the health and even fatal.

We recommend you not use any other substances in your pursuit of euphoria. Instead of poppers, you should avoid chasing thrill or high through substances altogether.

If you depend on poppers to enhance your sex experience, use any of these methods instead of poppers:

See your doctor

Specific medications, physical health conditions, and even mental health challenges may alter sex drive and sexual performance.

If this is the case with you, your doctor is in the best position to offer a diagnosis and plausible remedies.

Get involved in couple therapy

If applicable, you and your partner should consider couple therapy.

A professional couple therapist will help you and your partner spot intimacy issues and offer solutions.

Work out your stress in healthy ways

Stress and anxiety can be thieves of joy and peace, even in your sex life.

Too much stress can inhibit sexual drive and sexual pleasure.

Here are four healthy ways to help you release stress and anxiety:

Be more active physically

Regular physical activity like exercise can do wonders for mental health and stress relief.

You can start with gentle activities like walking, jogging, or biking if you are not physically active. However, if you are involved in irregular physical activities, you should consider making it regular in your schedule.

Keep up with a healthy diet

A healthy and balanced diet can help combat stress. Nutrient meals are essential for regulating stress and overall mood, as they contain stress-regulated B vitamins and magnesium.

For instance, foods high in fiber canhelp decrease feelings of stress and anxiety. 

Invest in yoga classes

Yoga is a fun way to relieve your body and mind of stress.

It does this by lowering stress hormone levels and blood pressure while increasing gamma-aminobutyric acid, a neurotransmitter found in small quantities in people with low moods.

Yoga positively promotes psychological well-being as well as physical. So you’ll be well served if you take some yoga classes.

Spend some one-on-one with nature

Spending some time taking in nature is a very healthy way to relieve oneself of stress and low moods.

You can regularly visit and spend time in green spaces like parks, gardens, forests, the beach, water bodies, etc., to help lower psychological stress levels.

Partake in nonsexual activities with your partner

Nonsexual activities boost intimacy and aid bonding, which can lead to a higher sex drive and, in turn, improve sex life.

Spending quality time together, cuddling, holding hands, giving messages, going on romantic dates, exercising together, doing things you both love but together, and verbal affection are healthy nonsexual activities that boost intimacy with your partner.

Avoid alcohol

This may be surprising to you if you have been sold the idea that alcohol always increases sex drive.

We’re here to un-sell you that narrative. Alcohol doesn’t always equal a high sex drive, especially in men.

Consuming large quantities of alcohol over a long period can lower testosterone levels.

What are Poppers Made of?

Poppers contain mainly butyl nitrite and amyl nitrite. They belong to a class of inhalants called alkyl nitrites.

Medically, amyl nitrite is a volatile liquid that relieves angina attacks, also known as severe chest pain. It usually starts to work after thirty seconds of inhalation. It first relaxes the blood vessels and then increases the blood and oxygen supply to the heart.

Amyl nitrite also acts as a depressant and slows down the messages between the brain and the body.

Recreationally, amyl nitrite is used as a high or for sexual enhancement.

Like amyl nitrite, butyl nitrite is also a validator. This means that it is a drug that dilates the blood vessels, veins, and arteries. Butyl nitrite also keeps the body muscles from tightening and the muscle walls from narrowing. This way, the heart’s job is easier as it doesn’t have to pump blood too hard, lowering blood pressure.

Non-medically, butyl nitrite has a reputation as being a sex-enhancing substance.

Together, amyl and butyl nitrite or poppers are a force you should not be involved with. Here’s why.

Although they may give you a short-lived euphoria and increase sexual sensation, poppers are addictive, pose short and long-term risks, and are inherently fatal.

What are Poppers Used for?

As mentioned, medically, the main ingredients of poppers, amyl, and butyl nitrite, are used to relax the blood vessels and ease blood flow, as well as treat angina (severe chest pain).

But poppers are popularly used in non-medical settings to get a short-lived feeling of euphoria, enhance sexual experience, or simultaneously.

What Else is Similar to Poppers?

Poppers are made majorly of amyl and butyl nitrite, which belong to a class of inhalants called nitrites and are often used as high and sexual enhancers.

The effect of poppers may also be obtained from inhaling items like degreasers, nail polish remover, dry cleaning, liquid paint thinners, and contact cement. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you don’t purposely inhale these items.

Because poppers are banned in many places, you will often find them in adult stores. They come in leather cleaner, video head cleaner, or room deodorant containers.

So if you are browsing through an adult store and you come across a bottle with one of these labels, congratulations, you are eye to eye with a bottle of poppers.

What Household Products Contain Amyl Nitrites?

1. Cosmetics like nail polish remover, deodorant spray, hair spray, and fabric protector spray
2. Deodorizers
3. Liquid incense
4. Leather cleaners
5. Air fresheners
6. Dry cleaning fluid
7. Paint thinner and contact cement
8. Art and office items like electronic contact cleaner, correction fluid, and felt-tip marker liquid
9. Vegetable oil sprays
10. Propane gas tanks, butane lighters, refrigerant gases, and whipped cream dispensers

Why do Poppers Feel So Good?

Poppers feel so good because they have euphoric and sex-enhancement properties. Allow us to explain.

Inhaling poppers gives users a head rush resulting from increased blood flow between the heart and body. This feeling is often described as a euphoric high and usually only lasts for some minutes.

Sex on poppers may feel incredible because poppers increase sex drive, facilitating intense sexual experiences.

This is because poppers have a muscle-relaxing effect and can relax the muscles in the anal area. This is why poppers are popular among the LGBTQ+ community.

However, we strongly advise against using poppers for sexual or euphoric reasons.

Instead of using poppers, follow our recommended ways to build your sex drive (see above) and entirely steer clear of substance use.

Tips for Using Poppers

First and most importantly, you shouldn’t use poppers for anything other than their intended function.

For instance, a bottle of room aromas should not be sniffed directly to get any high. Instead, it would help if you sprayed it in a Ventilated room and inhaled the scent.

That way, you’re safely inhaling the substance at a less concentrated level than when it is directly from the container. As a result, it poses little to no risks, except that it may offset allergies in some people.

If you use poppers to enhance your sexual experiences, there are other ways to improve your sex life instead of using poppers. We outlined a few above.

Nevertheless, if we haven’t gotten through to you and you still want to use poppers for euphoric or sexual reasons, you should at least do it right.

Here are tips on how to use poppers:

1. Start slow and take your time. Don’t be in a hurry because poppers have an intense kick.
2. Choose and buy poppers of your choice, don’t try to make one at home. The substance is already dangerous, even when industrially produced.
3. Whatever you do, do not inhale directly from the bottle. Instead, you can lightly dip a cotton swab or cigarette into the bottle and take a sniff of that. 
4. Do not ingest poppers in any way.

That includes injecting yourself with it, snorting it, or swallowing it. Of course, you’ll die if you do.

5. Don’t use them near a naked fire source, as they are flammable.
6. Keep water around you. You’ll need to rinse off any droplets of poppers if they end up on your skin or eyes.
7. If you’re pregnant, do not use poppers because the nitrites can disrupt the functioning of the placenta.
8. Poppers can be fatal for people with heart issues, breathing problems, anemia, and glaucoma because it drastically reduces their blood pressure levels.
9. Don’t take poppers with other sex-enhancement drugs. It’s always best to take one or the other. Don’t try to outdo yourself, as it might lead to fainting or a stroke.

What are the Best Poppers to Get?

Even though poppers aren’t the most ethically recommended sex-enhancement substances, there’s still a stratum from the best to the worst poppers.

Here’s a list of the best poppers to get in no particular order:

1. Locker room original
2. Rush
3. Double Scorpio
4. Jungle juice gold sweat
5. Pig sweat
6. Blue boy poppers
7. Jungle juice black label
8. Amsterdam Original
9. Crypt tonight
10. Jungle juice platinum
11. Everest premium
12. Amyl ultra-strong formula

What are Poppers Called in Stores?

In stores, poppers are usually sold in small 10-15 ml bottles and can be found in room deodorizers, nail polish removers, head cleaners, or leather cleaner sections.

What Happens If You Drink Poppers?

In a word, methemoglobinemia. When your swallow poppers, you put yourself at risk of methemoglobinemia.

Methemoglobinemia results from too much methemoglobin, a form of oxidized hemoglobin, in your blood cells.

The aftermath of methemoglobin is that it becomes difficult for your blood to carry oxygen throughout your body. This is harmful to your organs and potentially fatal.

How Long Does a Popper High Last?

Popper high is usually short and can last between two and five minutes.

If inhaled, you might begin to feel the effect of poppers after about 15 seconds of inhaling.

But at the end of the day, the duration of a popper high depends on how much was inhaled.