ArticleInternational journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being2026
From food to alcohol: exploring psychosocial drivers of post-bariatric alcohol use.
Article in International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBariatric surgery is an effective intervention for severe obesity; yet emerging evidence indicates a clinically significant risk of problematic alcohol use post-operatively, particularly among women and those undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. While physiological mechanisms are well documented, , limited qualitative research explores the psychosocial drivers behind this shift.
methodsUsing reflexive thematic analysis, we examined semi-structured interviews with 11 UK-based women (aged 33-63) who underwent bariatric surgery (2012-2021) and subsequently developed problematic alcohol use, despite no formal diagnosis of alcohol use disorder. Interviews were co-designed with individuals with lived experience and thematically coded in NVivo.
resultsFive themes emerged, each comprising related sub-themes: (1) altered alcohol metabolism and heightened intoxication; (2) alcohol as a substitute for food and tool for weight control; (3) shifting identity and social confidence; (4) alcohol use as emotional regulation post-weight loss; and (5) insufficient pre- and post-operative psychosocial care. Participants described using alcohol deliberately for appetite suppression, social ease, or emotional escape, reflecting unmet psychological needs.
conclusionsPost-surgical problematic alcohol use appears not simply physiological but a coping response shaped by trauma, identity change, and unmet emotional needs. Trauma-informed screening and longitudinal psychosocial follow-up are needed to improve long-term outcomes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.