Amy Slaton May Have Switched Addiction After Bariatric Surgery, Therapist Says
AMY Slaton’s Labor Day arrest may have revealed a unique reaction to her dramatic weight loss that is vastly different from her sister Tammy’s, a psychotherapist who has no ties to her siblings claims.
She urged the 1000-Lb. Sisters star to “refocus” her choices and rethink how she wants to be in the world, perhaps taking inspiration from her fellow star sibling.
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Amy, 36, was arrested Monday during a safari drive-through in Tennessee.
Police were called after Amy claimed a camel had bitten her arm. There were two children under the age of eight with her.
She was held along with Brian Scott Lovvorn on suspicion of drug possession and child abuse before being released on bail.
Arrest warrants obtained exclusively by The US Sun show Amy had magic mushrooms and 80 grams of marijuana in the car.
Amy pleaded not guilty to drug possession and child abuse charges during a court hearing on Thursday.
Psychotherapist Sherie L. SeffLCSW-R, who has not treated Amy or Tammy Slaton, said Amy’s possible drug use would not be “unusual” given her historical food addiction.
“With weight loss surgery, or any extreme weight loss, there can be a switch in addictions,” she told The US Sun.
“There is food addiction, substance addiction, and alcohol addiction, and it is not uncommon for people to substitute food for alcohol.
“There is also weed or mushrooms that you can replace.
“But weed stimulates the appetite and gives you the munchies.
“The snacking and old habits came back during sleep, burning an extra 500 to 750 calories.”
Interestingly, Amy’s arrest came after Tammy, 38, went candid about her weight loss on TikTok.
“You are not alone. You can do anything if you put your mind to it. Never give up,” the reality star told fans in late August.
Tammy admitted she felt lost after losing a whopping 500 pounds since the start of her journey.
“I take a lot of pictures and selfies,” Tammy says, recalling when she once weighed 700 pounds.
“And I do that, not because I think I look good — well, I do, a little bit. But mostly because I want to remember how big I was, what I look like,” she added.
“I think I was so focused on losing weight that I lost myself,” she concluded, before admitting that she was turning to alcohol instead of food.
WORLD IS SET APART
Seff claimed that Tammy’s more positive message contrasted with Amy’s recent arrest.
The weight loss therapist said Tammy’s new experiences could feel “intoxicating.”
“Tammy has lost a tremendous amount of weight,” she said.
“You can feel her joy when she writes and reports on social media; we can’t take that away from her.
“There is self-worth, self-esteem and self-respect as she returns to reconnect with the world.
“It’s about learning how to live in the world without relying on a wheelchair or oxygen.
For Tammy, the more weight she lost, the more of her life she got back.
Sherie L. Seff, LCSW-R
“Tammy can start to think about how she can travel in ways she never imagined, and that’s the hopeful side of this.
“One of the things that the obesity did in Tammy’s case was that she ended up in a wheelchair or housebound because she couldn’t move.
“For Tammy, the more weight she lost, the more of her life she got back.
“She’s got a taste of real life, and that can be very intoxicating.
“Tammy is learning to be in the world differently, so her happiness is there now.”
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Tammy and Amy rose to fame in 2020 when they appeared on 1000-Lb. Sisters and chronicled their weight loss journey.
Despite the sisters making a pact to lose weight, they underwent bariatric surgery at different times, for different reasons.
Tammy wanted to take care of her mental and physical health. She underwent bariatric surgery in 2022 after several stints in rehab.
In February she weighed 300 pounds, but she was still 30 pounds heavier than her sister.
“It’s hard for Amy to focus on herself while looking after the two children,” a source told The US Sun at the time.
Amy was always the slimmer of the two sisters.
She initially weighed 400 pounds and lost 100 pounds after bariatric surgery in 2019.
Amy claimed that her inspiration to lose weight came from being a mother.
MAKE A BUDDY
According to Seff, despite becoming “eating buddies,” the sisters have lost weight at different rates.
“Amy and Tammy have always supported each other, but they have also been competitors,” she said.
“The sisters were happy at different times and their experiences after the surgery were different.
“There were a lot of things going on at the same time and the dynamic between the sisters developed very early on.
It probably turned out that they were already eating buddies before the operation.
Sherie L. Seff, LCSW-R
“How they respond individually and whether they support each other will be more important in the sibling relationship.
“It is likely that they were already eating buddies before the operation.
“Although they are sisters and have the same DNA, their motivations are different and they face different challenges.
“Amy started at a lighter weight, while Tammy was significantly heavier.”
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Because Amy’s motivation was focused on parenthood, Seff claimed she may have been experiencing “wear and tear.”
“Amy’s motivation for losing weight was initially to become a mother and get pregnant,” she said.
“And so that people with eating disorders across the spectrum can get into a recovery zone.
“The challenges for Amy after the surgery will also be different than those for Tammy, because being a mother comes with a lot of responsibility.
“This is about emotional wear and tear for Amy.”
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The sisters from Kentucky have had their fair share of personal problems.
Tammy, who identifies as pansexual, married Caleb Willingham while she was in a weight-loss clinic in Ohio.
After Caleb died, she started dating women and was linked to TikToker Greg Morgan.
Tammy and Amy might consider medications that help turn down the volume.
Sherie L. Seff, LCSW-R
Amy divorced Michael Halterman in 2023. They have two children, Gage, 3, and Gleen, 1.
Amy split from her partner Tony Rodgers in February and started dating a man named Kevin shortly after.
BACK TO BASICS
Seff advised the sisters to try weight loss medications to further support their journey.
“Tammy and Amy may want to consider weight loss medications that help reduce volume,” she said.
“But Amy has to find ways to cope with stressors and the stresses of motherhood.
“They also need the team protocol, the surgeon, weight loss management and therapy.
“Amy needs to get back to basics. The team protocol and the therapy part of it are essential.
She can then build on this as she makes other decisions about herself and her relationship with her children.
Sherie L. Seff, LCSW-R
“This is a perfect opportunity for Amy to turn what feels so negative into something positive.
“She can build on that as she makes other life decisions about herself and her relationship with her children.
“Amy needs to reorient her choices, but the arrest may help her rethink how she wants to be in the world.
“She can decide for herself what kind of parent she wants to be.
“For Tammy, she’s on her own schedule, so we’ll see how that works out for her.”
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