The most devastating public health issue plaguing the United States today is inevitably substance abuse—excessive alcohol consumption and habitual drug dependency. And, the second most dangerous health problem we face as a nation is obesity.
Sadly, these two problems appear to have linked up in a dangerous union. Recent findings indicate that weight loss surgery is tied to an increase of alcohol and drugs amongst patients recovering from gastric bypass procedures.
Researchers Discover A Shocking Link
New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center’s Dr. Alexis Conason recently authored a study to inspect the relationship between weight loss surgery and later drug/alcohol dependency issues. It was found that those who have undergone the procedure were later seen to be at high risk of alcohol and drug use.
Researchers questioned nearly 132 women and 23 men who each had undergone popular weight loss surgery procedures. Shockingly, it was seen that the consumption of illegal substances rose at the time of the procedure, and continued to rise over 3, 6 and 24-month time intervals post-surgery. These findings do not suggest, however, that all gastric bypass surgery patients will become drug and alcohol abusers.
Why the increase in substances? There are a variety of potential reasons, the most obvious being surgical recovery and physical pain. Further, those who undergo such rapid weight loss are bound to experience a range of emotional and social changes that might precipitate drug or alcohol abuse as an escape.
Additionally, as many cases of obesity are also struggling with food addiction, gastric bypass patients have been commonly seen to replace their addiction to food with other substances like alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, etc.
Physical Signs Of Substance Abuse And Excessive Drinking
There are many drugs that exist which, as a side effect, drastically alter one’s personal image and weight. Some drugs like cocaine, methamphetamines, heroin, Adderall and other stimulant prescriptions cause rapid weight loss, while others (like marijuana, for example) can produce a general feeling of carelessness for one’s image, hygiene or self-preservation.
Excessive drinking commonly causes weight gain, as alcoholic beverages are merely “empty calories” with no nutritional value that turn to fat in the body rapidly.
Some other physical signs include:
-Changes in skin coloration
-Fatigue or sleeplessness
-Interruption in sleep patterns
-Loss of appetite
-Moodiness
Often those who are drinking excessively will try to hide it. They may start to spend time with others who share the problem of over-drinking. The individual may drink for many hours at a time, engage in binge drinking (having a large amount or alcohol in a small period), and even end up with alcohol poisoning.
Hangovers will occur often, blackouts may even happen. And the person will become unable to handle a large amount of responsibility because of the drinking. Problems will happen because of it and it will be clear that help is needed.
Talking To Your Loved Ones About Substance Abuse
If you have a friend or family member whom you suspect is at the onset of a drug or alcohol habit, you must act quickly. Remember what you would expect of a friend if you were in a similar situation. Although it can be tough to face talking about this kind of an issue, a true friend does so anyway no matter the apparent difficulty.
Keep in mind also that weight loss surgery is tied to an increase of alcohol and drugs. This is not surprising, especially since a surgery is not an alternative to treating a lifetime of addiction to food and bad choices which eventually added up to obesity.
For more information on this topic contact Narconon rehab facilities today.