NITROUS OXIDE

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• Nitrous Oxide: laughing gas, or now known as 'hippy crack' due to its popularity at psy trance parties coupled with the urge to inhale it every 5-10 minutes! It is a gas that has been safely used as a mild anesthetic in combination with oxygen for over a century. Regularly used at the dentist, and when giving birth.
  
• It is classified as a "dissociative anaesthetic." Disassociating the mind from the body for a few minutes at most, nitrous is helpful to 'disassociate' oneself from feelings of bodily pain - which is why it's so useful when giving birth (through the waves of pain when in contractions) and in dentistry. (Ketamine is also a 'dissociative', but lasts 20-40mins).
  
• Nitrous is legally available for over-the-counter sale.
  
• Nitrous is most commonly sold in small canisters for use in making whipped cream although it can also be purchased in large tanks and has been known to be nicked from hospitals and dentists to supply the odd party (look for the dude with the balloons and the queue of people following them around!).
  

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HOW IS NITROUS USED?

• Nitrous is always inhaled.
  
• Users either inhale the gas directly from a tank or else dispense it first into balloons. (see safer use tips below)
  

• A lungful of nitrous oxide results in the temporary loss of motor control and a "dissociative" psychological effect, where sensations and perceptions become disconnected.
  
• Users report a dreamy mental state, and may experience mild audio and visual hallucinations. Those whaaaa, whaaaaa, hmmmmm, bzzzzzzz, background kind of noises with weird feelings of wobbliness, space, lost time etc.
• The effects come on immediately and usually last less than a minute. Repeated inhalations of nitrous can extend and intensify the experience.
  

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Harm Reduction Tips: Staying Safer

• Nitrous produces an immediate loss of motor control. Stay seated if you are going to inhale nitrous. There have been many injuries and a few deaths from people who have fallen after inhaling nitrous.
  

• Your brain needs oxygen! Brain damage and suffocation can result from inhaling pure nitrous for an extended period of time.
  

• Nitrous can be extremely cold when it comes out of the tank. Cold gas can burn the skin as well as the lips and throat. Dispensing the gas into a balloon and allowing it to warm up before inhaling it can reduce this risk.
  

• High pressure levels in the tank can shoot the gas out at a dangerously fast speed and damage the lungs. Again, it is safer to inhale from a balloon than from a tank.
  
• Nitrous can be psychologically addictive. While rare, many people have become addicted to nitrous and other dissociatives. BP has noticed people topping up their ecstasy or similar type drugs with nitrous to bring a 'peak' back on and then end up glued to the nitrous tank for the next couple of hours, trying to raise their buzz all the time. Not good.

• There hasn't been much research done on mixing nitrous with other street drugs so we'd urge caution. People have been known to have seizures, mini strokes, partial paralysis. Anything that reduces oxygen levels to the brain has the potential to be dangerous.
  

  The regular use of nitrous can cause long-lasting numbness in the extremities and other neurological problems.

• You can take drugs and not be stupid too!
  
• Stay seated. Inhale from balloons not tanks.
• Don't mix it with other drugs.
• Don't have it without reasonable intervals.
• Pass safer using info onto your mates.


further info we recommend

Totse.com discusses nitrous, various and intelligent thoughts to help with the bigger picture.

Nitrous Dangers A very balanced and unhysterical piece on the dangers of Nitrous, what you need to remember, look out for, avoid etc. Check it out if you plan to inhale...