If you’ve had weight loss surgery, you already know it’s not just about losing weight - it’s about changing your entire relationship with food. But what happens when the cravings don’t go away? What if they just shift to something else, like alcohol?
I know this struggle firsthand.
I’m 21 years sober today, but before that, I tried for years to manage my drinking. I thought I had it under control - until I didn’t. Eventually, I had to face the truth and get help. Years later, when I had weight loss surgery, I found myself navigating a whole new challenge: making sure my food addiction didn’t transfer to alcohol.
This isn’t just theory for me. I’ve lived it. I know what it feels like to fight those urges, to want an escape, to reach for something - anything - that will take the edge off, to make me feel comfortable. And I also know how to break the cycle.
What Is Transfer Addiction?
We had surgery on our stomachs not our brains. When you rely on food to cope with emotions, stress, or past trauma, weight loss surgery actually takes that coping mechanism away. But the need for comfort doesn’t just disappear - it looks for a new outlet. That’s where transfer addiction comes in, especially once you’re out of the honeymoon phase.
For many, “transfer addiction” just happens without realising it, they swap one habit for another. Shopping, gambling, sex, drugs - anything that gives that ‘hit’ but most commonly transfer addiction to alcohol
Here’s what you need to know, what to watch for, and how to protect yourself.
Why Alcohol Becomes a Problem After Bariatric Surgery
Alcohol isn’t just “a drink” after weight loss surgery - it’s stronger, riskier, and more addictive than before. It seamlessly becomes the “perfect” substitute for food.
✔ It’s easy to consume (unlike large amounts of food).
✔ It hits fast! Your body absorbs alcohol differently now – With a smaller stomach and changes in digestion, alcohol hits your system faster and harder.
✔ It takes less to feel intoxicated. Even small amounts can lead to higher blood alcohol levels than pre-surgery. Which by the way, remain high even when you feel you’ve sobered up.
Alcohol numbs emotions just like food did.
Emotional Eating used to flood us with “feel-good” chemicals dopamine and serotonin, alcohol can seem like an easy shortcut to get these chemicals.
Signs You Might Be Struggling with Transfer Addiction
🚨 You find yourself drinking more often than before
🚨 One drink turns into two, then three - your tolerance is increasing
🚨 Alcohol has become your main way to relax, cope with stress, or unwind
🚨You feel you need a drink to feel normal
🚨 You feel guilty about drinking but struggle to cut back
🚨 Loved ones have expressed concern about your drinking
I know how easy it is to slip into these patterns. It happened to me with alcohol before I got sober, and I’ve watched it happen to others after weight loss surgery. But it doesn’t have to be your story.
How to Protect Yourself from Transfer Addiction
If you want to stay in control and avoid falling into the alcohol trap, here’s what you can do:
✅ Recognise the triggers & pay attention to your habits Are you drinking more often? Craving alcohol when stressed, bored, lonely or are you drinking to feel like you fit in?
💡 Learn to ‘pause and check in’ with yourself before reaching for a drink.
✅ Find new ways to cope
Food and alcohol were never the real problem - the problem was how we used them to “escape”. I teach practical tools like:
💡 Emotional awareness
Learning to ‘feel’ without numbing. Exactly how to connect with your body, feel the ‘feels’ and regulate them.
💡 Self-soothing strategies: Managing stress in healthy ways.
For example, breath-work & meditation for stress.
💡 Rewiring habits: Shifting from self-sabotage to self-care.
For example, journaling to process emotions. Creative hobbies to replace mindless munching or drinking
✅ Set Boundaries with Alcohol
💡 If you do drink, be intentional
✔ Avoid drinking on an empty stomach
✔ Stick to low-alcohol options and sip slowly
✔ Set a limit before you start drinking
✔ Choose non-alcoholic alternatives when socializing
✅ Stay Connected & Get Support
Addiction thrives in isolation. Whether it’s a support group, a coach, or trusted friends, surround yourself with people who ‘get it’.
I know how scary it is to feel out of control. I know how easy it is to tell yourself, “I’ve got this,” even when you don’t. But I also know what’s on the other side of addiction: FREEDOM
This journey isn’t just about weight loss—it’s about changing the way you respond to life’s challenges. If you’re struggling with alcohol or other post-op habits, I can help you:
✔ Identify and break the emotional triggers behind transfer addiction
✔ Build healthy coping strategies that actually work for you
✔ Rewire your mindset so you don’t feel “deprived” without food or alcohol
The good news?
You’re not powerless.
By being aware and proactive, you can be the version of you that you dreamed of when you started this journey.
You deserve support, healing, and a life where you are in control.
You deserve true FREEDOM.
Reach out today.
Sonia
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Join me for a free webinar!
So, I’ll leave you with a warm invitation to my 8 Fundamentals FREE webinar where I share my daily to do list and how I actually manage my bariatric journey day by day.
It’s in an ‘hour of power’ where I squeeze a lot of valuable information for you into the 60 minutes on Zoom - totally for free.
About Sonia McIndoe
Hi! I'm Sonia, a NZ Bariatric Life Coach, who has had weight loss surgery and maintained a 70kg weight loss over more than nine years. I walk the walk and have dealt with my own regain by continuing to use and hone my own fundamentals and strategies which I share with you. Like you, I struggled with my weight...
I actually struggled with it my entire life. At 5 years of age my ballet teacher told me “I danced like a baby elephant”. I yo-yo dieted my way to a body I loathed and had given up on. Food was my friend - but it was a love/hate relationship. In many ways it saved me, but it was also slowly killing me.
I wasn’t convinced even Weight Loss Surgery would work for me … why would it when nothing else had!
10 years post Weight Loss Surgery later and still several dress sizes smaller, I am the happiest I have ever been.
You can have the success you dream of too. I am so passionate about sharing how, that I work full time as a Bariatric Coach.
I credit my Weight Loss Surgery with my 70kg weight loss, but keeping it off, I credit to doing the mind work. It’s this mind work that I teach in my Mind Empowerment coaching programmes.
The Mind Empowerment Programme
Sonia McIndoe's coaching programme is called Mind Empowerment and starts with a free one hour webinar, "The 8 Fundamentals for Bariatric Success".
The next stage is group coaching via Zoom, "Mind Empowerment" followed by "Lose Your Regain - Stay on Track".
One on one individual coaching is also available. Sonia coaches live via Zoom, so you can be anywhere in New Zealand and access help from her as your weightloss coach.
Find out more at www.mindempowerment.co.nz