In this article we are going to have a little look at Poppers. To those of you who are not familiar with them, this will be an introduction and one for which many adult toy lovers who use large silicone dongs or huge silicone dildos will be interested.
The term ‘Popper’ relates to a chemical which is sold as a liquid and predominantly serves two purposes. Party goers have used it to inhale to produce a ‘high’ and homosexual men have used it facilitate anal penetration.
The chemicals in Poppers are known as alkyl nitrites and a common form of Poppers are Amyl Nitrite.
Amyl Nitrite was first produced in the laboratory in 1844 and became a treatment for chest pains caused by certain heart related problems. Through studying it’s effect on the body it became apparent that it had the ability to dilate (or widen) blood vessels which could have positive effects for the patient’s heart.
Just as is the case of many things used as sex toys or adult toys, Poppers were never designed to be used in a sexual setting. Their innocent original role was replaced in the 1960’s when they emerged as part of the disco era.
At this time they were being used recreationally ,predominately by gay men, because it was found to relax muscles in the body. The most relevant muscle which Poppers helped were the sphincter muscles.
Basic anatomy of the anus shows that in order to penetrate it, you need to pass through internal and external sphincter muscles and then you can pass into the rectum. This band of muscles is kept tight by the body mainly because it prevents incontinence and therefore will not allow your poo to escape!
Because gay men required access to the anus and rectum to achieve penetration anything which relaxed this tight band of muscles was obviously very helpful.
The term Poppers originated because of the way the product was distributed. Amyl Nitrite came in a small sealed vial known as an ampoule, which were encased in a cloth sleeve. In order to release the active ingredient the vial had to be ‘popped’ or broken within your hand.
Once the chemical was released the user would inhale it quickly and the effects would happen very fast. Not only did the anal sphincter muscles relax (which are those that our anal toy lovers penetrate) Poppers would also relax the throat muscles – potentially a benefit it you wanted deep throat oral penetration too.
Aside from their sexual use among homosexual men for sexual purposes, in the decades that followed, Poppers were being used also for the high which one could achieve by repeated exposure to it Through inhalation users were left in a strange altered state of consciousness temporarily which appealed to many people already experimenting with the illicit drugs of the day e.g. Cannabis and LSD.
A word of warning to sex toy lovers who enjoy anal penetration with large silicone dildos or huge silicone dongs there are some health concerns associated with the long term use of Poppers. The most worrying of these warnings is regarding the potential of harmful effects upon the brain of the user.
Despite the controversial use of Poppers not being a new thing, they have continued to be used by subsequent generations for sexual purposes as well as in the illegal rave scene.
Indeed, there are many gay men who use Poppers while masturbating in what they call Popperbating and they identify themselves as Popper Pigs.
John Thomas Toys do not endorse the use of Poppers such as Amyl Nitrite due to the associated medical risks which have been identified. Please do your own research before you consider using them in your sexual play.
We are of the opinion that if you are looking for something to make anal sex easier, then it would be better to invest in a sex toy or adult toy which can be used to ‘train’ the anus and stretch it, in order to prime it for penile penetration.
Platinum silicone sex toys such as Butt Plugs are great for this purpose. Furthermore, John Thomas Toys stock a great range of platinum silicone anal stretchers which can really ‘open you up without the need of artificial substances.