That was one of the topics which casually came up during one of the classes I taught today; we were talking about banned substances and one of my students, who I think is gay, mentioned this specific issue - the rest, being straight, had no idea what it was about, so I explained a bit.
Everybody has, at least, heard of this substance, considered to be a 'sexual enhancer'... But how much do we actually know about it?
After today's brief explanation to my students (don't worry, they are all adults) I decided to do a bit of research and I found VERY interesting and, I think, not widely spread information.
But first, the basics. If you either live in a nunnery or haven't had sex with more than one person (who might've lived in a monastery) then you may not know what I'm talking about. Poppers are Amyl Nitrate, a substance which expands or dilates blood vessels and is used by some people during sex because of this quality, it helps dilate the anus (which makes anal sex easier), it makes the orgasms more intense and, in general, it makes you feel a bit wilder and hornier.
However, I came across a study relating HIV to popper use... Evidently, it was found that men who use poppers during sex are more prone to get infected or contract an STD even while wearing a condom - I'll explain a bit further.
Poppers dilate the blood vessels and, therefore, the concentration of blood in the anus increases, making it easier for the HIV virus (though I think this is redundant since the 'V' stands for Virus) to get through these vessels - there is also a higher chance of bleeding. But this is not all, the most surprising thing is that this substance also inhibits your immune system, facilitating the infection of any other STD as well. Scary, huh?
So, it's not only that these things make you hornier and wilder, they also make you less resistant to infections and health issues... I'm not condemning its use, I'm just saying that this information should be more widespread/published...
Personally, I can't use poppers and haven't because I tend to respond badly to drugs - I have only used alcohol and caffeine but I absorb them very quickly so the effect tends to be heightened - and I wouldn't want to risk a heart attack or something like that. But also, I think it stinks like HELL!!
If you want to know more about this study, let me know and I will send you the article (I included the reference at the bottom of this entry).
Reference
Walsh N. POP GO THE POPPERS. Gay Community News [serial online]. August 2008;(224):40. Available from: LGBT Life with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 2, 2011.
This is a really interesting study and its good to get the information out there. Personally I would never try them. I've heard horror stories (using this term lightly) that after using poppers during sex, it becomes boring having when you don't use them, and as the body builds up a resistance you need it more and more. I've also heard that even though it's not illegal it still kills brain cells as well from lack of oxygen.
ReplyDeleteNot something to be taken lightly at all.