Last month, Starcasm broke the story of My 600 Lb Life star Sarah Neeley entering rehab for an unspecified drug addiction. Now, with Sarah Neeley in recovery, it’s looking like things have improved dramatically for the woman with the fifth-biggest weight loss in the show’s history. Since her public acknowledgement of addiction, Sarah has begun treatment, given herself over to a higher power, and vowed to continue the “fight” for her health.
Before she entered rehab last month, Sarah revealed her problems with addiction without saying exactly what it was she’d become addicted to. In her public post, Sarah said she’d overcome her food addiction “only to now be dealing with something that will destroy or kill me if I don’t do something now to help myself.” In explaining her intention to enter a treatment facility, Sarah added, “I know for a fact that it will take over my life….I’m scared. But I know it’s what I have to do.” Sarah also described having lost friends to addiction, something that “humbled” her and gave her perspective now that she’d fallen victim to the same problem. (Click here to read Sarah’s full post.)
Fortunately, it seems that the first weeks of her treatment are going well. Sarah Neeley in recovery appears to be more humble and hopeful; several of Sarah’s updates since entering rehab mention or reference her relationship to a higher power. In her very first public update after the rehab announcement, Sarah shared a blurry photo alongside an unidentified friend, saying, “Just got out of church. Headed to the preachers house for pizza.
“I prayed hard for the first time in a long time tonight,” Sarah added. “Thank god for second chances.”
Later that same day, alongside a dark, candlelit bathtub pic, Sarah again referenced giving herself up to a higher power: “Alot on my mind. But at least I know I’m in better hands now.” She added a string of optimistic hashtags: “#iamstrong #yesterdayisgone #livefortoday #fromthismomenton #relaxed #relaxing #metime”
And with her most recent post-rehab pic — which we’ve posted at the top of this article — Sarah also alluded to the miscarriage she suffered earlier this year, while filming for her first Where Are They Now? episode:
“#redhair #straighthair #nailsdone #sober
Its MY RECOVERY. My story. #doingwhatiknowisbest life has definitely thrown me some curves the last couple of months (this past year) . I’ve come to far to just throw it all away. I will fight. I have a purpose. I’m worth it. #everyonesworthit #onedayatatime”
It’s great to see Sarah Neeley in recovery, and her mix of humility and defiance might be exactly what she needs to battle her addiction. Throwing up your hands and surrendering to a higher power — one of the central tenets of many recovery programs — doesn’t mean that you can’t also believe your own life is worth fighting for. Sarah’s declaration that she has “a purpose” suggests she’s either gotten past or never suffered from one of the most common addiction-related mental health issues: that the life of the person in recovery is somehow not worth living. In that sense, getting a new hairdo and having her nails did aren’t frivolous exercises; they’re small but important reflections of self-worth.
If you need to catch up on Sarah’s weight loss journey, you can stream her latest My 600 Lb Life follow-up here, via TLC.
(Photo credit: Sarah Neeley in recovery via Instagram)
John Sharp is Starcasm’s chief editorial correspondent-at-large. Tips: E-mail john@starcasm.net or Twitter @john_starcasm.
