Can you Become Addicted to Poppers?

Poppers, chemically alkyl nitrites, are bottles of liquid that are inhaled to give a ‘rush’, or ‘hit’. Despite commonly being sold as room aromas or odourisers, they do fall into the category of recreational drugs. In this blog, we explore whether it’s possible to become addicted to poppers and how to stay safe when consuming them. 

Are Poppers Addictive?  

Some recreational drugs, such as cocaine or ketamine, hijack the brains reward system and cause a huge surge in dopamine which makes them addictive: users take them again and again as the dopamine they get from the drug exceeds the dopamine they get naturally. 

Poppers, however, generally aren’t known to cause this dopaminergic rise. They act on the brains cardiovascular system instead, widening blood vessels around the body causing increased blood flow to the brain: this results in the rush of euphoria poppers give you.  

Can Poppers Cause Long-term Psychological Problems? 

Despite poppers not being known to cause addiction like other drugs do, they are some nuances that are helpful to know about as a poppers user.  

Poppers Dependency 

People can become dependent on poppers through association: if they’re using poppers to enhance sexual activity, or whilst clubbing, you might begin to associate poppers with these high-dopamine states and thus become dependent on them to achieve any level of increased dopamine. This is called situational dependency and although not too common, is something to look out for if you’re a regular poppers user to make sure you maintain a healthy dynamic with them. 

Chemsex 

Chemsex is the act of using stimulants to enhance sexual activity and poppers are often grouped into this culture. As a function of this chemsex, poppers are often used along with other drugs (that often are addictive), which can create a dependency-cycle that for the user can be similar to addiction. When using poppers in these circumstances, it’s very important for poppers users to be aware of all relevant safety information and find help if needed.  

Where Can You Get Help for Poppers or Substance Abuse? 

If you have an unhealthy relationship with poppers and want help, reaching out to professionals is the best way to go. Seeking help from organisations like Talk to Frank and Smart Recovery is the best way to go. Here, you can talk to professions or people who’ve had problems with drugs themselves to discuss what the best step for a full recovery is.  

Concluding Thoughts 

Although poppers cannot directly cause addiction like other recreational drugs can, there are still some ways that people can have unhealthy relationships with poppers. It’s therefore important for poppers users to know how to take poppers safely and to seek help if they think they have a problem. 

That being said, poppers are a great way to enhance sexual activity or a special night-out. Due to their non-addictive nature, the vast majority of poppers users can enjoy that hit of euphoria without any long-term problems. View our range of premium aromas to stock your shelves ready for the next big occasion! 

Disclaimer  

Our poppers are aromas or room odourisers only and are not for direct inhalation! This product is sometimes used as a leather cleaner also and in such cases should be used for the treatment of leather products only and end use is as leather cleaner only, not for direct inhalation!     

All our poppers style aromas are UK legal Alkyl Nitrites sold in the correct child-proof and tamper-evident bottles. ALWAYS READ THE LABEL AND FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES.