A woman has spoken out about how her sister “drank herself to death” after getting a gastric bypass – claiming the surgery led her to trade her addiction for food for one.
Nicole Wilson, 44, had an eating disorder since childhood and binge eating as a source of comfort, revealed her sister, Amanda Wilson, 46, of Indianapolis.
After becoming obese, Nicole decided to go under the knife in an attempt to turn her life around. She opted for a gastric bypass — a procedure that uses surgical staples to create a small pocket at the top of the stomach.
After the surgery, she miraculously lost 120 pounds — but instead of eating, she turned to alcohol.
A woman revealed that her sister ‘drank herself to death’ after getting a gastric bypass – claiming the surgery led her to trade her addiction for food for one
Nicole Wilson (seen left before surgery and immediately after surgery), 44, had an eating disorder and binge eating as a source of comfort since childhood
Making a Change: After Nicole became obese, she decided to go under the knife in an attempt to turn her life around by opting for a gastric bypass. She is seen after surgery
Despite not drinking much before the surgery, Amanda said her sister’s love of liquor quickly became “excessive and worrying.”
She began drinking every day and after two and a half years in and out of rehab, Nicole tragically passed away in November 2018 from alcohol poisoning.
After the surgery, she miraculously lost 120 pounds — but instead of eating, she turned to alcohol, revealed her sister, Amanda Wilson, 46, of Indianapolis. Nicole is seen after surgery
Now Amanda believes her sister suffered from a “transfer addiction” — that’s when people trade their food obsession for another dependency — and said she’s “angry” that there wasn’t more “support” for Nicole after the procedure.
“I’m angry that patients aren’t screened properly or aren’t educated properly,” Amanda recently told SWNS.
“I know she was in a Facebook support group for transfer addiction, I don’t know how many times she went but I know she was involved. I believe there should have been guidance for Nicole.’
According to the Bariatric Centers of America, up to 30 percent of people may experience transfer addiction after surgery.
Amanda explained that “adjusting” to the way “people treated her” after being “obese all her life” was especially hard for Nicole.
“You go from being told you’re not good enough to people liking you and wanting to take you out for a drink,” she added.
Tragic: Despite not drinking much before surgery, Amanda said her sister’s love of liquor quickly became “excessive and worrying”
She started drinking every day and after two and a half years in and out of rehab, Nicole (seen post surgery) tragically died of alcohol poisoning in November 2018
Now Amanda believes her sister suffered from a ‘transfer addiction’ – that’s when people trade their food obsession for another dependency
“The mental health aspect and realizing how differently you’ve been treated all your life — there’s got to be support for that.”
Nicole, who had a successful career in marketing, underwent gastric bypass surgery in April 2013.
Beforehand, Amanda said she was screened and given a psychological assessment, which she passed.
She started drinking in early 2015. Amanda continued, “It wasn’t over the top — probably a beer or two.
“Nicole started dating, being social and going out to see friends. It started with a beer here and there, then it moved on to mixed drinks and then she drank vodka straight from the bottle.
“When you have this surgery, your stomach is smaller, so it changes the way you absorb alcohol.”
Amanda said she believes her sister was hooked on the alcohol because she “couldn’t go to her usual comforts,” which is food.
“I believe in my sister’s case, she had binge eating disorder, which was undiagnosed and untreated,” she explained.
“If you can’t go to your usual comfort, you replace it with something else, in this case it was alcohol.”
Amanda and her father were so concerned about Nicole’s behavior that they staged an intervention.
She tried rehab, but it was sadly unsuccessful, and five years after the surgery, Nicole passed away in November 2018.
“The longest she was sober was 30-35 days and then she drank herself to death,” Amanda revealed. Her blood alcohol level was 0.46 [when she died] and the legal limit is 0.08.
“She tried to get sober — she was so happy when she got sober — but the addiction just took over.
Amanda explained that “adjusting” to the way “people treated her” after being “obese all her life” was especially hard for Nicole
Amanda said she also believes her sister (seen after surgery) consumed alcohol because she “couldn’t go to her usual comforts” which is food
Strong bond: While reflecting on her sister, Amanda called Nicole her “best friend” and gushed about how “funny” she was
My father blames himself. He had been in the house about two hours before she died.
“He thinks if he’d stayed, she wouldn’t have been drinking—but if it hadn’t been that night, it would have been a different night.”
While reflecting on her sister, Amanda called Nicole her “best friend” and gushed about how “funny” she was.
“She didn’t have a large circle of friends, but she was close to those she was friends with,” she explained.
‘She was my best friend. She was quiet, but at the same time she used her words to let you know exactly what she was thinking.
She was funny too. We loved traveling together, we would go on a trip at least twice a year. She was outgoing, funny and enjoyed life.’