Ep 132. Sam Bramman’s Journey: Overcoming Addiction to NangsEp 132. Sam Bramman’s Journey: Overcoming Addiction to Nangs
The Truth About Addiction
A 22-year-old shares how a brief but intense addiction to nangs led to psychosis, deep recovery work and eventually a campaign for nitrous oxide law reform. The conversation highlights family impact, mental health support, running for change and speaking openly so others don’t suffer in silence.
22:54•2 Nov 2026
From Party Nangs to Psych Ward: Sam Bramman’s Hard Lesson at 22
Episode Overview
- Nangs (nitrous oxide) can lead to severe mental health crises, including drug-induced psychosis, even after short periods of heavy use.
- Doing a drug in secret and hiding from others can be a strong sign that something is wrong and harmful.
- Therapy and speaking openly, especially for men, can help break isolation and support long-term recovery.
- Purposeful actions like running, fundraising and advocacy can rebuild self-worth after addiction.
- Legal controls on access, tank size and late-night delivery are presented as important steps in reducing nitrous oxide harm.
“Because we have to recover out loud so people don’t suffer in silence.”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of how quickly "harmless" fun can turn into a crisis. This episode of The Truth About Addiction focuses on 22-year-old Sam Bramman, who thought nangs – nitrous oxide bulbs – were just a party laugh. Within six months, he was in a psychiatric hospital with drug-induced psychosis, and his parents had taken two months off work to stay by his side.
Sam shares how his use started at a house party, when he saw others inhaling nitrous oxide and seeming fine a minute later. He explains the high as "when you stand up too fast and you feel really dizzy," and how the gas displaces oxygen in the brain. Ron links this to his own early heroin use, showing that addiction often begins with the same belief: "I'm not hurting anybody, I'm just getting high." The conversation pulls apart that illusion.
Ron reminds listeners, "Any chemical you put in your body that has the ability to put you into some sort of psychosis… is not good for you," while Sam describes nearly two years of recovery, spending up to 16 hours a day in bed and feeling like "a shell of a human". You’ll also hear how Sam rebuilt his life through therapy at Headspace, opening up instead of bottling emotions, and finding a new passion in running.
That led to his No 2 Nangs advocacy, a run from Sydney to Canberra, and law reform in New South Wales to restrict nitrous oxide tanks and late-night, rapid deliveries. As Ron puts it, "We have to recover out loud so people don’t suffer in silence." If you or someone you care about thinks nangs are harmless, could this be the wake-up call that changes everything?
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