Random question about meth use

[flex]

So rumors are that my little sister is using meth.   I won't go into detail as to her actions that make me suspect this,  BUT she was staying with my mom prior to her not being able to wake up.   There are a TON of Q-tips  scattered underneath my bed in the guest room, and in various other areas in my mom's house.

It really doesn't make sense why they're all over the place,  so I'm  wondering if Q-tips are a tool for meth use?  Does anyone know?  Or am I being paranoid?

[whereintheworld]

Google tells me pulling the cotton off to filter drugs for IV use. So maybe . Sorry. My brother is an IV drug user too and it's scary.

[rosiebear]

I'm really sorry. A Google search of q tips drug use indicates they may be associated with heroin use. Im not quite sure how, though.

[Deleted]

I'm sorry. I have no idea. My high school bff was anorexic and used to eat the cotton off the tips of q-tips. My dog also enjoys eating q-tips.

Is the cotton stripped off?

[TR]

Jun 21, 2016 14:12:43 GMT -5 @lemonlover said:

I'm sorry. I have no idea. My high school bff was anorexic and used to eat the cotton off the tips of q-tips. My dog also enjoys eating q-tips.

Is the cotton stripped off?

What was the purpose of this with the anorexia? Did it make her feel full?

[Deleted]

Jun 21, 2016 14:16:50 GMT -5 TR said:

Jun 21, 2016 14:12:43 GMT -5 @lemonlover said:

I'm sorry. I have no idea. My high school bff was anorexic and used to eat the cotton off the tips of q-tips. My dog also enjoys eating q-tips.

Is the cotton stripped off?

What was the purpose of this with the anorexia? Did it make her feel full?

Yes, she would chew it and then swallow it. She would also do bits of paper. They expand in your stomach with water and give you the full feeling. It's fucked up disease that really makes a sane and smart person do irrational things.

[snipsnsnails]

Do the Q-Tips have any residue on them?

[Alwaysabridesmaidf]

Is the cotton missing off of the tip? Like PP said, the cotton is used as a "filter" for IV drug use. I'm really sorry you are going through this. I am sure you know, but be really careful when going through your mom's house. Drug users are rarely careful with needle disposal.

[TR]

Jun 21, 2016 14:43:02 GMT -5 lake said:

Jun 21, 2016 14:16:50 GMT -5 TR said:

What was the purpose of this with the anorexia? Did it make her feel full?

Way to be sensitive to mental illness.

The fact that the idea of eating cotton makes me gag doesn't make me insensitive to mental illness. And my question was genuine, I wanted to understand how that was caused by the anorexia. I've seen people who eat odd things due to other afflictions, but hadn't heard of it associated with anorexia.

[lexxasaurus]

If it's stripped q-tips it may mean she was pulling the cotton off to soak up the drugs before she pulled them into the needle. If it isn't IV use, I'd expect tinfoil remnants, or broken light bulbs (if there wasn't a pipe to use).

[flex]

The Q-tips I've seen do not appear to have the cotton pulled off. This is just so weird.

[usuallylurking]

Jun 21, 2016 18:30:31 GMT -5 flex said:

The Q-tips I've seen do not appear to have the cotton pulled off. This is just so weird.

The can get really, really weird ideas while high. They can become transfixed with cleaning, they can have this really weird compulsion to be "crafty," etc. My initial thought was using the cotton tips for syringe use, but these are other options.

Of course, my next thought was to wonder if your mom has a cat? Because my cats go nutty over Q-tips and there's no telling how many they'll confiscate or where they'll end up.

[flex]

Mom does have a cat but he wouldn't be able to squeeze in under the bed. He's a big boy.

[usuallylurking]

Jun 21, 2016 18:58:58 GMT -5 flex said:

Mom does have a cat but he wouldn't be able to squeeze in under the bed. He's a big boy.

That explains why they're all trapped under the bed! He loses them there and then has to get a new toy. Unless it's carpeted; I'm imagining wood floors that the qtips can slide on while he bats them around.

[miniroller]

*************

[flex]

miniroller, YGPM.

[AHappierHour]

My guess is that she used them to help clean her pipe.

[lexxasaurus]

Jun 21, 2016 21:31:57 GMT -5 AHappierHour said:

My guess is that she used them to help clean her pipe.

Like, the bottom? I only ever cleaned off the burned bottom with my shirt sleeve, it's not terribly messy.

flex, also ((hugs)) My thinking comes from a previous meth head brain, but I hope it's not what you're thinking. Sounds like the q-tips may not point to anything, but I don't know. Lots of good thoughts.

[aprilsails]

My money is on the cat. Our guys stash anything like that under beds, dressers, etc. Just out of reach.

[flex]

Well when I first got into town, there were a bunch of Q-tips strung out in the hallway when I went by to drop off my suitcases before I headed to the hospital. I was like "WTF?" but I was in a rush to see Mom so I didn't say anything. My sister had them cleaned up by the time I got back to the house, and then I found a ton more under the bed. I seriously doubt Bobby the Cat spread them around. That's not his bag, and the bed is really low to the ground. Bobby is a very big cat.

The Q-tips concern is based on my sister's behaviors lately, in addition to the meth rumors.

[usuallylurking]

Hugs, flex, that's rough. If they were initially all along the hallway and then picked up (and possibly thrown under the guest bed instead of the trash?) then yeah, I doubt it was the cat.

They can be for cleaning their pipe or lightbulbs, using the cotton to "filter" when shooting up, or they can become obsessed with cleaning their ears (or nose?) which is why their faces can look so awful- they turn into pickers.

So sorry about your mom.

[MixedBerryJam]

Jun 21, 2016 20:19:03 GMT -5 usuallylurking said:

Jun 21, 2016 18:58:58 GMT -5 flex said:

Mom does have a cat but he wouldn't be able to squeeze in under the bed. He's a big boy.

That explains why they're all trapped under the bed! He loses them there and then has to get a new toy. Unless it's carpeted; I'm imagining wood floors that the qtips can slide on while he bats them around.

I bet this is the explanation. All my cat's small toys/random uncooked spaghettii strands/ every kind of small random thing one of my cats takes an interest in ends up in one of two places in my house: under the couch or under the fridge.

[flex]

I seriously doubt it's the cat. Like I said he's a BIG kitty and the bed is very low to the ground. There are some shenanigans going on but it's not from the cat. lol

The good news is both my sisters do not have keys to Mom's house. My poor stepdad--he has to deal with them, but luckily he's no pushover.

[berbles]

Jun 21, 2016 23:04:21 GMT -5 usuallylurking said:

Hugs, flex, that's rough. If they were initially all along the hallway and then picked up (and possibly thrown under the guest bed instead of the trash?) then yeah, I doubt it was the cat.

They can be for cleaning their pipe or lightbulbs, using the cotton to "filter" when shooting up, or they can become obsessed with cleaning their ears (or nose?) which is why their faces can look so awful- they turn into pickers.

So sorry about your mom.

This is what I'm thinking. If she's on meth she might be obsessively scratching her ears with them.

[karmasabiotch]

Q-Tips are associated with Meth use.

 Sorry, Flex.

[flex]

Jun 22, 2016 14:04:42 GMT -5 karmasabiotch said:

Q-Tips are associated with Meth use.

 Sorry, Flex.

I was suspected they were related.  Thank you for confirming my suspicions.  : )

[spindle92]

I am sorry flex.
I have 2 family members who thankfully kicked their meth habits but I have another one who cannot and is in it bad.

hugs.

[flex]

Her meth use is one thing, but she's just been awful when Mom was in the hospital. ::sigh::