Speaking of Poppers

Poppers" is slang for the drug amyl nitrite (and its close chemical relatives butyl nitrite and isobutyl nitrite). Used medically to relieve pain in people with heart disease, amyl is a vasodilator -- it causes blood vessels to open wider, easing the heart's labors, allowing blood to flow more freely, and temporarily increasing the pulse rate. Originally, amyl nitrite was inhaled from little glass capsules that broke with a pop -- thus the name.

Somewhere around the 1970s, people, especially gay-male-type people, found that poppers had quite another use. Inhaling them during sex provided a hell of a rush. Voila! A new gay fad was born. I'll let a poppers aficionado describe it for you: "You open the little brown bottle, stick it under your nose, and inhale. A few seconds later, your heart starts pounding, your consciousness changes, and you become utterly absorbed by sex. Instead of being 'me having sex,' I become sex itself, and the experience can be overwhelming. Poppers can make mediocre sex good, and good sex spectacular."

Amyl/butyl nitrate (poppers) is a powerful drug that can give you an almighty burst of dizzy energy for a couple of minutes.