I’m lucky in so far as I get to share so many patients success stories and some are really inspiring. Less so are the sad ones where regain rears its ugly head and I try to help some who struggle with this – it isn’t easy but I’m pleased to say doable. Heart-breaking however are the pleas I get from a few who have experienced addiction transfer and whose lives are blighted because of it. Just recently
I seem to have seen a surge in these cases where alcohol is the major problem – the numbers for whatever reason seem to be growing and there seems to be an emerging pattern within the community of rapid onset alcoholism.
I don’t have the medical know-how to explain why this happens, although we have covered alcohol and addiction several times on the website (see here) and I know there are several research projects looking into this as I write. Maybe they will unearth more facts and more importantly paths for treatment.
I am not the only person to have noticed this trend and on social media and other websites this is being highlighted as a subject for concern. I know there are also new communities and support groups being set up to help those for whom it has become a real problem.
One of my contacts, Steph Wagner, who also helps patients in the WLS community has recently interviewed 3 patients who have suffered such an addiction and they are happy and willing to share their experiences in the hope that it may help others … read on … it makes sobering but necessary reading … and please share to the community – it may just help someone feel that they are not alone and should seek help.
In a nutshell, it comes down to this: In a patient who has had Gastric Bypass, blood alcohol levels rise much faster after drinking, they peak at least two times as high, and it takes much longer than pre-surgical patients for the blood alcohol levels to return to zero.


- I was unwilling to go to any and every length to find and remain in sobriety
- I was unwilling to do exactly what I was told, to understand the feelings are not facts.

Related Articles:
To Drink Or Not To Drink?
Alcoholism After Gastric Bypass – Mind or Gut?
New Addictions After Weight-Loss Surgery
A ‘Dry’ Drink Of Choice
Drink-Driving Risk for WLS Patients
Coping With Head Hunger
WLS – No Drinking With Meals!
Getting Back To Goal: 5 Key Steps To Reverse Weight Regain
8 Foods To Avoid After Bariatric Surgery
10 Ways to Stay Healthy and On-Track on Holiday
Want To Stay Off The Booze?
Post-Op Holiday Drinking & Alcohol After WLS – What’s The Surgeons’ View?
Weight Loss says
This was so interesting to read but totally makes sense. I think wls has such a huge impact on peoples lives that sometimes they can’t cope with the inability to eat and liquids are easier to manage. I wish there were more studies into this or it was at least explained before weight loss surgery as a possible side effect.
CAROL says
I do believe many surgical providers do mention the risk of cross addiction issues after surgery but not in any great deal or with too much emphasis pre-op. Hopefully there will be more research and understanding of the problem as we learn more.
Sue says
So happy to have found your post. I am a gastric bypass patient 5 years later, who never really had a problem with alcohol before surgery. I was definitely warned prior to surgery in my program about the dangers of alcohol, but it really didn’t concern me as alcohol was never an issue. After my surgery I waited the mandatory 1 year to let my liver process all the fat loss before trying alcohol. I decided to wait until a vacation at a cottage to try a glass of wine. This was my first blackout, and was truly so confusing to me when i came to. Apparently, I ate dinner, ate dessert, went swimming, played cards, etc. but I remember nothing of this. Soon after, the “bypass blackout” as I call it became a regular occurrence. I would drink and then go sleep for one or more hours, and then wake up, ready to go, totally sober (I think), after my body processed the alcohol, and we would begin the party again. This continued for several years, and soon the wine cure would occur every day. I was unable to stop after 1 or 2 drinks and would drink until I passed out. I would discuss things with my husband, and then repeat them the next day, or ask the same questions the next day, with no recollection of our conversation. As my children became more and more concerned with late night cooking (and burning of pots on the stove), as well as more and more times I sabotaged family gatherings by “just having a drink to calm my nerves for the event” but ended up blotto, I soon realized that alcohol has become unmanageable in my life and I needed help. Do I blame the gastric bypass program? Not at all….They allowed me to lose close to 100 pounds and I am forever grateful for this option. But now I am left with the results. Recently i joined AA and am starting on the step program. So most people in AA do not have the same cause for their drinking, but the result is the same. “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.” I look forward to the future, and hope that I can overcome this.
CAROL says
Sue this was a very courageous post to write and I hope it will inform others as to the dangers (for some) after WLS that alcohol can present. It is becoming more documented and whilst a great deal is anecdotal it is nonetheless very real and problematic within the bariatric community. It is especially worrying when it hasn’t presented itself as an issue prior to surgery. I know many are looking and researching this further and I will update with any findings and recommendations given. Transfer addiction is well-documented outside of WLS and increasingly being recognised within it. I hope you continue to receive and seek help for this and would welcome any update if you feel you can share from time to time. Almost all of us are grateful for the option of surgery and the new health is brings but this is a side issue that does need and require additional research and consideration as a risk factor. Thank you so much for sharing. C x
Jennifer says
I am just today learning of this connection and I am angry and sad. 20 years of guilt and shame.
My RNYGB was in 1993, I was 30 and a non-drinker and within 3 years post surgery I was a black out drunk and have been struggling with the guilt and shame of this for years. Most years have been ok, but the earlier years I had a multiple DUIs. I managed as best I could to be a good mother but they saw things and experienced things they never should have (me passed out) I’m sure my alcoholism was a contributing factor in my daughter’s suicide, although she would tell you I was her best friend.
I still struggle, I’m not a daily drinker, I’m a plan it out binge drinker but I get in trouble, the bruises and cuts, because I fall. I always check my cell phone and social media after drinking because i don’t remember anything
I did not drink prior to the surgery, I was in my mid 30s when I developed alcoholism. It never made any sense to anyone why I suddenly became a drunk. It happened overnight.
Mary Langland says
I am so grateful to have come across this article, this is my story to a T. I’m a 55 year old female who had Gastric Bypass surgery in 2011 and over the course of a year lost 180 lbs. I started going out to bars and loved the attention of men. Especially after my husband of 26 years had had at least two affairs that I knew of. We divorced in 2010.
To make a long story short between abandonment issues, mental illness, emotional and physical pain, and no self esteem to speak of the drinking took over in a very short period of time. All I wanted to do was numb all the pain. It is comforting to know I am not alone. Now after 3 times in treatment I am slowly learning I am worthy and it’s okay to be your own person and love yourself. I always measured my worth by what others thought of me, when all along it needed to come from within. I wish there were support groups specifically for weight loss patients/ alcoholics. I do attend some AA meetings but I want more. I am going to try a group called Health Realization which deals with addiction/mental illness. As of yesterday I have one year sober and it seems to be getting a little easier, but I’m always on guard for an unguarded moment!!! Thank you for the chance to tell my story. Mary in Minnesota
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Monica says
I had my WLS 15 years ago and started having problems with alcohol about 2 to 3 years afterward. In the last 3 years the addition of hormonal changes added to my issues. Frequent blackouts followed by regret, shame, anxiety, and depression.
Have done dry January before but this time I started my sober journey in December and am 33 days sober today. I’m feeling like I will make it indefinitely without alcohol but really wish there were an online community specifically for WLS and alcohol problems.
CAROL says
I agree Monica that it would be helpful if there were a support group within the online community to help. I know there was talk of one within wlsinfo.org but not sure how far it progressed. I will ask and try to find out more. Keep going with your sobriety – it’s not easy and I applaud your efforts. Carol x
Susan says
Did anyone find out if there’s an online support group for alcohol use disorder after WLS?
Julie E Hammond says
I had gastric sleeve surgery in June 2016. Last Monday, November 9, 2020, I admitted I am an alcoholic and started going to virtual AA meetings. I just wish there was AA for bariatric patients.
CAROL says
Julie, I agree it would be helpful if there was but I am told there are a couple of support groups that focus on alcohol addiction relating to WLS on Facebook that you might like to explore. They are closed groups and not public. Check them out if you feel they may help you. I am pleased you are seeking help – it’s especially tricky at this present time. Carol x