Fear of drains

Ok, ever since I was about 10 I've always been afraid of drains in pools. The reason was, I heard a story that a girl had got her guts sucked out through her ass! I was like freaking out that day, and ever since I can't get near a drain in a pool!

The bad thing is, at my moms appartment, they have a pool, and I love swimming but I can never go in the 10'! And I love going there, but I freak too much. Is this weird or am I too worried?

P.S. I was looking around, but I couldn't seem to find what this phobia is called, does anyone know?

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Based on 512 votes (408 yes)
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Comments ( 50 )
  • Beaver_bonk123

    i got the same problem, im scared of drains cuz it might be a link from the sewers and poop will come out the drain and it will go in your mouth

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    • shakinlaekyn

      Lmfao. Ew.

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  • hallo101

    dude i feel the same way, its like you dont want to be sucked into the darkness cuz u feel something might just grab you and at the same time but not as much you think its gunna try to make you drown while you hang onto the floor of the pool! am i right??

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  • Chuckle

    I had a fear of vagina once, thought it was going to suck out my testicles through my penis, and I freaked out in the deep end. The only solution is to go deep my friend; balls deep that is.

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    • KokoJelly

      lmfao

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  • Bathtubreef

    I think it's totally normal. I have been afraid of pool drains my entire life, especially the big, black ones in large or community pools. They're ugly and scary.

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  • Avant-Garde

    Drains are scary.
    I saw a rugrats episode about someone getting sucked down the drain. It Scared me.

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  • celebdun

    I have the same fear! It sucks but I'm afraid of pools anyways so it doesn't really matter XD

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  • Hey, You are scared of that too? I thought it was only me. I'll go in the deep end if someone else is in the pool with me. But yeah, I think its completely normal. =] try having someone go in the deep end with you one day.. try to beat your fear.

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  • brittcr

    It's normal, at least I think so. My babysitter lived in a poolhouse and would tell me there was a monster in the pool and not go go near the edges it or it would grab me and take me into the pool (it was an old, dirty pool and I know now, she was just trying to keep me from falling in unsupervised). I concluded there was a monster in the drain, since nothing ever happened when I'd pass by it....
    I'm also afraid of other drains (because of the movie "IT" and blood coming out of the faucet, etc.)... There was also another movie about where a boy got sucked down through the drain and never came back, but I can't remember what the name of it was.
    Also, there have been cases where small children's bodies have created a very strong suction and they end up drowning at the bottom because of it. The earlier post is correct about new drain cover regulations...

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  • ilclol

    i'm afraid too i'm sure there got to be a phobia...

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  • aspgirl

    Are you certain this story is even true? This soulds like someone was trying to scare you. If that's the case, they've certainly succeeded. But I've never heard of such a thing happening. Chances are this is just a rumor or a story made to scare people.

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    • Gymnast55

      http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00016693.htm

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  • Jocke

    Could be worse if you stuck your penis in there, that would either hurt or be relaxing.

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  • Phokisss

    how old are you? the story was obviously false. Grow up. If it is even possible, it would have to be one industrial drain, no public pool would have an apparatus that could possible do something like that.

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  • t7796

    good point there AverageTMcFlannigan (16347)

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  • BirdyMojo

    I used to have that same fear! When I was little, my grandma was trying to keep me from going to the deep end of the pool, so she said "That drain in the deep end, will suck you up. It's been known to suck people up who barely enter the area. I wouldn't go over there, many people have died." I was freaked out by pool drains for a good two or three years. Then I finally got the guts to swim over them, to this day I still swim over them, raise my arm up, and say "YES! I concurred you, drain!" and proceed to swim. People look at me like I'm crazy, who cares. Meh ;)

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  • digitalbroken

    Absolutely normal, in that it's normal for everyone to have certain irrational fears.

    What's not normal is getting your guts sucked out your ass--even if anything like that happened (which does not seem likely), it has to be so rare that it would be a waste to avoid doing something you love simply to avoid being the one in a billion who may get their guts sucked out by a (not-all-that-powerful) pool drain.

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  • theredsheep6

    Ya its been proven that some people carry the fear of drains from childhood. Sitting in the bath tub watching the water swirl is scary for a baby. You never outgrew that fear and now it's on a different level with a pool.

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  • When I was little, I always had dreams about being washed down a bathroom sink drain. lol. It's normal. When I'm in a pool and I look down at the drain I always shudder, seriously. Maybe it's the dreams....

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  • Nic1028

    They freak me out to.=)) I can't even swim over one even if the pool is deep. Actually, for me, drains that are deeper underwater are even more scary...=))

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    • kss34

      It is very normal but why the hell would sucking your brains out through your ass really scare you now? You know that is not possible and just ridiculous. I can see maybe getting your hair caught in a drain because a girl really did drown from that. I'm scared of drains too. BUT SERIOUSLY>>>ASS&GUTS<<< GET OVER IT!

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      • Gymnast55

        http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00016693.htm

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  • toxicckisses

    Everyone has a fear of something/someone else and this is normal to have a fear cause everyone has them even me and just because yours is of drains can't make you un-normal because im a 100%% sure other people have this fear that are the most normal persons in the world dont get upset because of this

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    • toxicckisses

      oh and that wont happen actually soem drains like in a pool push out water unless they are un-filling the pool when it's closed so dont be worried even if the drain did suck it it won't hurt you just go to the middle of the pool!

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  • redsheep741

    i avoid STEPPING on drains but it's only cuz' when i was 9 i stepped on a drain in a pool and it scraped the boot of my foot off. when i got out of the pool it started bleeding. ALOT.

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  • PoisonFlowers

    D-: You are not being irrational at all. That poor, poor girl...
    You are afraid with good reason!

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  • Sheep

    Haha that happened on Final destination 4 he was stuck in the deep end with his arse glued to the bottom of the pool and then the pressure built up so much his inside came out through his arse

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  • mnnarco

    This is actually not a myth or an urban legend at all. It happened to a kid from here. The cover came loose on the pool drain and she was disemboweled. Here is a link to the story:

    <a href="http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=528666">Abbey's Hope: Remembering Abigail Taylor</a>

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    • italian,guy

      the same thing happend to me but my body was not disembwoled.i had jumped into the pool when i was 5 and now one told me that the valve was open and i got stuck at the bottom and my mom noticed right away and had the grounds keepers help me and shut off he valve

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    • Mechastar

      Oh my Gosh I read the article, that's really sad, but good st the same time :(

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  • tarajackson83

    I don't think being afraid the pool/spa/bath tub drain is too abnormal. I'm almost 26 and I am afraid of them too.
    This fear was not caused by some traumatic experience either. I think it's a real phobia people have, there's alot of people that are scared of them. I think they are dangerous as well. I also know that the little girl a few years back did have her intestines pulled out of her and she died a while later after complications or something because of it. There are also new drain cover compliance laws as well because of people getting sucked on to them. I think there's a video on the net where a cover was off the drain and a bouncy ball (you know the kind with the handle) was stuck to the drain and it would have taken over 400lbs to pull it off.

    I don't like to think about drains when I'm swimming and when we go to a pool or waterpark I have to know where the drains are located.

    So, yes..this fear is very real and I don't think it's abnormal.

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  • Heybroyodogsupman

    lol some people have weird fears. I know somebody who got their little toe stuck in a drain at the bottom of the pool while I was there and he had to yank it free to get out of the water it wasn't really urgent but could have been worse. Not trying to scare you though.

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  • winterfresh

    I sometimes still get scared when people make the jaws soundtrack noise and follow me in the pool. LOL. Oh and I don't like shower drains either. THE worst thing is outhouse's by far though.

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    • MTsky

      Me too. Portapotties also. I always think that there's gonna be some angry hobo lurking underneath thats gonna shank my ass with a jagged piece of glass.

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  • jackgabe

    I think the story was an urban legend and not reality. My family has a pool and in reality a pool takes hours if not an entire day to drain out from how much water a pool holds so even if the drain valve is opened (not the grate which is the part that you can see) when you are swimming most likely it will drain so slow you will not notice it and even if you do will be save as there will not be any whirlpools to worry about. Nevertheless less it is natural to fear things that one does not fully understand especially if they have received misleading information like you have.

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  • I have the same fear. I can't go near them, because I don't know what's on the other side of them. I don't like shower drains either, for the same reason. I won't get near them. I think it just scares me not being able to know what's there. I don't swim in lakes, ponds, etc. for the same reason. I don't know what's down there!

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  • candid

    I don't know what you mean by pool drains. I live in Australia and most pools don't seem to have any drains that I can see, except for the ones where the water overflows over the sides at a certain level and goes down a drain.

    I have heard that skimmer boxes are dangerous though (is that what you meant?) and my dad always told me not to sit in the skimmer box because you could have your guts sucked out through your ass, except not in those words, and it had happened to someone. But it had a cover on it and why would you sit in it?

    A lot of kids are scared of the drains in the bath, I know I was.

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  • expoguy

    LMAO guts sucked out through your ass, is that urban myth still going around? i remember someone telling me that thirty years ago.
    It will never happen the pool pumps are not powerful enough to do it.
    If your really that worried the you could always put a cork in there to ensure your guts stay in place.

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    • Gymnast55

      http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00016693.htm
      Not an urban legend.

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  • pinksugardots

    LMAO. I used to have the same problem when I was a kid but I grew out of it. I remember really hating the sound of the water as it was getting drained. I also had this fear of drain gutters.

    To tell you the truth Stephen King's "It" really scared the crap out of me. I was probably 7 when I first saw the movie. The scenes with Tim Curry dressed like a clown luring kids into the drain gutter and this other scene where blood was bubbling up from the bathroom sink really creeped me out.

    Sorry I can't help, but I just thought I'd share :)

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  • Englishgirl

    i hate them to lollll :P ..

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  • AverageTMcFlannigan

    Yeah, drain fear isn't uncommon. I've got it to an extent too. Thing is, drains are only scary if there's a lot of water over them. If not (such as in a shower), they're no biggie. If they are covered (like a full tub or a pool), then it's spooky. I think it might have something to do with not knowing what's on the other side of the drain. It's also a little symbolic because nothing ever returns once it passes the face of the drain. That can be scary if you get too caught up into the theory.

    Let's be honest though, drains aren't going to hurt you. Pool drains should be difficult to cover enough to where they'll injure you. Tub drains are passive and the water pressure is minimal. If you freak out about the deep water in the pool, people will just think you're normal.

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  • imrighturwrong

    pools drains can be hazardous if they're not covered properly. But they whole thing about getting ur guts sucked out throught ur ass... i highly doubt it. Go swimming, just don't stick ur asshole over the pool drain!

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    • Gymnast55

      Actually, that did happen about 20 years ago in North Carolina. It was in a kiddie pool and she sat on the drain. I believe her name was Victoria but I could be remembering incorrectly. Horrifying stuff.

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  • Completely normal... Peopel have fears, all of them...

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  • cpg123

    well its normal in away many ppl have different fears we might find strange but most of them cant hurt u so i would just get over it

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  • gunstarbob

    Sucked... guts.... LMFAO

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    • Gymnast55

      http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00016693.htm

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  • Qulpax

    Fear of Drains? thats just Stupid

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