Why are poppers popular with gay men

Alkyl nitrites—aka “Poppers”—are commonly used in the queer community and, like any other substance used as an aphrodisiac, they have benefits and risks.

“The ban on poppers is nothing new. As Zmith puts it, poppers give people “a moment of bodily freedom,” a fleeting escape from the everyday constraints of stigma. The historic Stonewall Riots of 1969 set off a liberation for LGBTQ+ people that hadn’t been experienced before. However, frequent users may develop a tolerance, causing them to use poppers more frequently or in higher doses to achieve the same effects.

Poppers and Risks to Sobriety

While poppers aren’t addictive in the traditional sense, they can still pose a risk to sobriety.

Sometimes through informal practices, sometimes through nightlife, sometimes through collective joy. Users report euphoria, muscle relaxation, and heightened sensory perception after use. Gender and sexual minorities fought—and are still fighting—a tremendous battle for acknowledgement and equality (and the fight still rages on). These behaviors can be destructive for anyone working on long-term recovery.

Poppers in the LGBTQ Community 

The connection between poppers and the gay community likely began in the 1960s.

It more than doubled between 2018 and early 2024.

Yet researchers say there's a clear through line of why gay men still sniff poppers today – just as much as there's reason for anyone to heed warnings about possible dangers.

People are taking GHB in clubs. They maintain a mythic quality of the past – of bathhouses, of long nights dancing, of new lovers.

Use Sparingly—Increased use means increased risk. These stores usually market the drug as a room deodorizer, leather cleaner, and other uses that don’t involve human ingestion.

But, with the 1960s came a significant social shift. Of course, the more people used it, the more they noticed the incidental effects—lightheadedness, increased blood flow, and a sense of euphoria.

Restrictions or not, though, it was too late.

In this way, poppers became part of a sexual culture that said: our bodies matter, our pleasure matters, our alternative ways of being matter.

Symbols of Body Positivity and Sexual Expression

That culture of bodily freedom is closely connected to body positivity and sexual expression in queer spaces. The crackdown on poppers usually came in raiding local stores, seizing products, and imposing fines.

And they can go hand-in-hand with other party drug use.

So why do many risk it? Of course, what sets poppers aside from other drugs is the distinct impact on smooth muscles like the sphincter. Experts say we're not paying enough attention.

The history of poppers

Amyl nitrite was first synthesized more than 150 years ago.

Poppers also react poorly to PDE5 inhibitors like Viagra and Cialis. Use can lead to severe headaches, a rise in body temperature, difficulty breathing, extreme drops in blood pressure and even brain death, according to the FDA. Reported alkyl nitrite exposures more than doubled in the U.S. annually between 2013 and 2022 (from 138 to 365), and the number of people who needed medical attention rose from 59 to 185.