A woman has spoken of how her sister “drank herself to death” after having a gastric bypass – claiming the surgery led her to switch her food addiction with a drinking habit instead.
Nicole Wilson, 44, has had an eating disorder since childhood and has been binge eating as a source of comfort, her sister Amanda Wilson, 46, of Indianapolis revealed.
After becoming obese, Nicole decided to go under the knife in an attempt to turn her life around, opting for a gastric bypass – a procedure in which surgical staples are used to create a small pouch in the upper part of the stomach.
After the surgery, I miraculously lost 120 pounds — but instead of eating, I turned to alcohol.
A woman has revealed her sister ‘drank herself to death’ after having a stomach bypass – claiming the surgery led her to swap her food addiction for a drinking habit instead.
Nicole Wilson (seen left before and immediately after surgery), 44, has had an eating disorder since childhood and has been binge eating as a source of comfort
MAKING A CHANGE: After becoming obese, Nicole decided to undergo surgery in an effort to turn her life around, opting for gastric bypass. seen after surgery
Despite not drinking much before the operation, Amanda said her sister’s love of liquor quickly became “excessive and anxiety-inducing.”
She began drinking every day, and after being in and out of rehab for two and a half years, Nicole tragically died of alcohol poisoning in November of 2018.
After the surgery, she miraculously lost 120 pounds — but instead of eating, she turned to alcohol, her sister, Amanda Wilson, 46, of Indianapolis, revealed. Nicole seen after surgery
Now, Amanda believes her sister suffered from “transport addiction” – which is when people replace their obsession with food with another dependence instead – and said she’s “angry” that there has been no more “support” for Nicole after the procedure.
“I am angry about patients who are not being screened or properly educated,” Amanda told SWNS recently.
I know she was on a transport addiction Facebook support group, I don’t know how many times she went but I do know she was involved. I think there should have been a counseling for Nicole.
According to the American Bariatric Centers, up to 30 percent of people may experience transportation addiction after surgery.
Amanda explained that “adjusting” to the way “people treated her” after being “fat all her life” was particularly difficult for Nicole.
She added, “You go from being told you’re not good enough, to people fancying you and wanting to take you for a drink.”
Tragic: Despite not drinking much before the operation, Amanda said her sister’s love of liquor quickly became ‘excessive and disturbing’
She began drinking every day, and after being in and out of rehab for two and a half years, Nicole (seen after surgery) tragically passed away from alcohol poisoning in November 2018.
Now, Amanda believes her sister suffered from “transportation addiction” — which is when people replace their obsession with food with another dependence instead.
“The mental health aspect and realizing how differently you’ve been treated throughout your life — there needs to be support for that.”
Nicole, who has had a successful career in marketing, underwent gastric bypass surgery in April 2013.
Before that, Amanda said she was screened and received a psychiatric evaluation, which she passed.
In early 2015, I started drinking. Amanda continued: ‘There was no overindulgence – maybe one or two beers.
Nicole started dating, socializing and going out to see friends. It started with beer here and there, then moved on to mixed drinks and then I 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 turned to alcohol because she “couldn’t go to her usual comfort,” which was food.
She explained, “I believe in my sister’s case, she had a binge eating disorder, which was neither diagnosed nor treated.”
“When you can’t go to your usual rest, 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 intervened.
She tried rehabilitation, but unfortunately it didn’t work, and after five years of surgery, Nicole passed away in November 2018.
“The longest period she was sober was 30-35 days and then she drank herself to death,” Amanda revealed. Her blood alcohol level was 0.46 (at her death) and the legal limit is 0.08.
She’s tried getting sober – she was so happy when she was sober – but the addiction is just getting started.
Amanda explained that “adjusting” to the way “people treated her” after being “fat all her life” was particularly difficult for Nicole.
Amanda said she also believes her sister (who was seen after surgery) turned to alcohol because she “couldn’t go to her usual rest,” which was food
Strong bond: While thinking of her sister, Amanda called Nicole her “best friend,” and gushed about how “funny” she was
My father blames himself. He was home about two hours before her death.
“He thinks if he had stayed I wouldn’t have drunk more – but if it hadn’t been that night, it would have been a different night.”
While thinking of her sister, Amanda called Nicole her “best friend,” and gushed about how “funny” she was.
“She didn’t have a big circle of friends but the ones she had were very close,” she explained.
‘She was my best friend.’ She was calm, but at the same time she used her words to let you know exactly what she was thinking.
She was funny too. We loved to travel together, we would travel at least twice a year. She was outgoing, fun and enjoying life.
