Why Drug Addicts Are Always In The Bathroom

Illegal drugs are used by millions of people every day. Some are injected, some are smoked, and others are ingested. Some people even take drugs doing very unorthodox methods such as inserting them in their rectum. No matter what drug someone is using, addiction is a real threat. There are signs to look for if you think someone you know is using drugs.

Some of the more obvious signs of addiction are lack of hygiene, spending a ton of money, sleeping at odd hours, mood swings, and forgetting daily responsibilities. Click here for all the signs of addiction. One main sign that is often overlooked is how much time the person spends in the bathroom. 

Why Drug Addicts Always Stay In The Bathroom?

Drug addicts are always in the bathroom because it’s a place that offers them privacy. No matter if the person is at home, work, or a public place, when they go to the bathroom other people respect their privacy and typically don’t barge in on them. The other reason drug addicts are always in the bathroom is that the bathroom offers them many of the tools they need to get high. IV drug users need things like clean water, cotton, and a towel. They can usually find all of those in the bathroom.

I got high in the bathroom whenever I could. Many drug users feel the bathroom is a relatively safe place to get high. Saying “I need to use the bathroom” is a good excuse many drug addicts use to get away for 15 minutes.

Bathroom/Restroom Offers Privacy

Drug users feel comfortable getting high in the bathroom because they feel some level of security and privacy in the bathroom that they don’t experience in other places. No matter where someone is if they say they need to use the restroom, they can get away for 10-15 minutes. Typically this doesn’t arouse any suspicion because everyone has to use the bathroom.

Less Risk

When an addict is in the bathroom they feel more secure. They feel that other people in their household won’t barge in on them because there is underlying respect when someone is in the bathroom. Whether it’s a bathroom at home or a bathroom in McDonald’s many addicts feel they are safer and have a lot less risk of getting caught in the bathroom.

Some addicts live with their parents, some with their kids, others with their significant other. I lived with my parents during most of my addiction and no matter how many times I asked them not to barge in my room when the door was closed they still occasionally did it. I was the kid and they were the adults who paid the mortgage so I couldn’t argue with them. But when I was in the bathroom they never barged in on me. It was a place I felt secure to do drugs without being noticed.

Ruin A Good High

One thing many drug addicts know is that they don’t want anyone ruining their high. For anyone who has done drugs a long time they know the feeling of being in the middle of smoking your last hit, or injecting your last bag and having someone walk in on you and you scramble to hide it, then end up losing the drugs. Going into the bathroom prevents this from happening.

I have been in the car before about to use my last bag and saw another car pull behind me very slowly. I was so high and paranoid I assumed it was the cops so I shoved everything under my seat. The car passed me by (it wasn’t the cops) and when I went to get everything out I spilled the last bag all over the car floor. I was furious because I was all out of money. From then on I got high in a gas station or McDonald’s bathroom whenever I could.

Bathroom’s Offer Addicts Tools

The other reason addicts like to use drugs in the bathroom, is because the bathroom offers them many of the tools they need to get high. If the person is smoking their drugs they usually have some type of window in the bathroom that they can blow the smoke out of. Many bathrooms have fans in them to clear steam and addicts use this to their advantage to help block unwanted noise but also clear out any smoke that may be lingering in the bathroom.

IV drug users need clean water, cotton, some type of little cup bottle cap or spoon, and toilet paper or paper towel. Everything an addict needs to shoot up can be found in the bathroom except the actual drugs and a needle. 

Perfect Place To Clean Up

The last reason addicts like to get high in the bathroom is the fact that they have everything they need to clean themselves up. If their arms are bleeding they have water and towels to clean up. They have a mirror to check their eyes. They can wash their hands and face to get rid of any smell or residue. Also, they can take a shower if they need. Or maybe they just turned the shower on to make it seem like they were taking a shower to give them time to get high.

The addict will feel safer if they can wash their hands and face and maybe brush their teeth before leaving the bathroom. Their family might not be able to smell anything if they wash up well. At least that’s what we addicts think when we’re doing it.

Paranoia/OCD From Drugs Use

Drug users (myself included), get paranoid and become very obsessive and compulsive after getting high. Many times when you see cocaine, crack cocaine, or meth users, they have marks and scars on their body and face. Many of these scars may be from shooting up, but a lot are from picking and scratching. Addicts will spend hours in the bathroom mirror popping pimples, scratching bugs, and hallucinating. 

Lots of cocaine and meth users get something called coke bugs or meth mites. These are hallucinations of bugs on and around the skin. (Full Article on Coke Bugs) When they imagine these bugs they start picking and scratching all over their skin. This causes rashes, bleeding, and open wounds. The user will spend hours trying to clean these wounds up before leaving the bathroom.

Excessive Bathroom Use Can Be A Sign of Drug Use

People have many reasons to be in the bathroom. If someone is in the bathroom more than normal that doesn’t mean they are an addict. People get sick, some people just take longer in the bathroom, others sit on the toilet and scroll through social media for an hour. But if you notice some of the other signs of addiction along with excessive bathroom use then this may be a red flag.

If you suspect someone is using drugs and they’re always in the bathroom pay attention to what they bring in the bathroom with them. (Click here for a list of common items drug addicts use).

Also, try to notice if they seem different when they come out of the bathroom. An addict who is in withdrawal or sober may seem irritable or flustered and then when they come out of the bathroom they might be happier, calmer, have bloodshot eyes or dilated pupils. These are some of the telltale signs someone is getting high in the bathroom.

Related Questions:

What Will The Bathroom Smell Like If Someone Just Used Drugs In There?

If the person was injecting or ingesting their drugs then there will be no smell. If they were smoking drugs then there might be a lingering smell. Weed smells like a strong piney smell. Crack smells like a mix of burnt plastic with burnt metal almost. Like you left a pan on the stove way too long. When meth is smoked it smells similar to crack but it’s more like a chemical-type smell.

Also, pay attention to no smells at all. If a person always says they are going poop and it never smells they might not be pooping at all. If it doesn’t smell don’t jump to conclusions. Pay attention to no smell plus some of the others signs of an addiction.

Do Drugs Make People Have To Go To The Bathroom More Than Normal?

Some drugs can have this effect. A lot of drug dealers cut their cocaine with diuretics which causes the users to have to poop a lot. Drugs like heroin have the opposite effect. Heroin and other opioids back up a person’s entire system. Many heroin addicts will goes days without pooping. Then after 3-4 days, they will go and it will be a very painful experience. This is because they have 4 days’ worth of stuff coming out at once.