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I officially quit smoking 6 years ago. Since then, I occasionally would smoke when I drank alcohol. Lately though I've been struggling with wanting to smoke more. Possibly trading one addiction for another? I'm fighting with myself because I really do want to be healthy.

Doctor's appt. went well. He won't close up my hole, he said a suture popped off and that he wants it to close on its own...clean it with peroxide daily. For the record he used a 32 bougie. I was given medicine for the acid reflux, nausea and diarrea. All of which he says are common and should go away soon. He also said (which I have already learned from this site) that "buyers remorse" is common too, and that it takes time to get your head straight to adjust to such a dramatic change, and of course my hormones are all outta wack!! I love this doctor...he is so kind and caring, and never rushes...why can't they all be this way? Anyway, he also said that I can swim (covering the hole with gauze and waterproof stuff) and I can drink alcohol - woot woot - it's gonna be a great weekend!! Thanks again guys for all your support. This will be a rough journey, but everyday it will get better!

Pros: The whole thing was shockingly easy. The surgery was fast and almost painless. The recovery was easy. 2 years later I still barely have an appetite. Lost weight without much effort. Cons: Everyone talks about addiction transfers and alcoholism and compulsive shopping. No one addresses identity, and body image issues post-op. Not nearly as much as they talk about alcoholism etc. I felt I was very unprepared for the emotional issues that come with massive weight loss.

My surgeon said no alcohol for a year. I am fine with that. The way I see it, we put our body through so much to get healthy. Why would we add a toxin in that will tax it even more? Especially our livers. It's just not worth it to me.

I am 5 months post op... I had my first wine 2 months post op, there has been no difference in the effect of the wine on me what so ever its the same as before surgery. I have not tried vodka yet but when I do it will be at home first...just to see how I react to it. My sister had 2 vodka drinks while having some appetizers w/friends a year after surgery and got trashed - LOL. I think it was because she did not drink for a year. Everyone handles alcohol different, I would do my testing at home first.

Eating out or at a party I say to myself "eating that food is bad for me, or now that the band is helping me with hunger I don't have the urge to eat a cookie just because it was offered". I like tasty foods (we are built that way); I just need help not eating something because it's there. I will say that many of us having been mistreated because of our weight need to remember those moments. My mother has always said "the only thing worse than a recovering alcoholic is a recovering fat person!" They are very quick to point out someone elses poor food choices.

I am with Cheri! Shoes, specifically boots for me. Now I have normal sized calves, I cant stop buying the damn things. And the saddest thing is since I broke my ankle at the beginning of the year I have barely been able to wear them (as most a heels and that dont go so well at the moment). I also like to cook, keep feeding everyone...I live alone so there is always way too much food. My workmates mainly benefit from this over cooking. One could argue that I moved to alcohol, as I mostly want to drink rather than eat when things get bad, but am a lush at 3 drinks...so not really happening there either. Never been able to get into the coffee thing at all...

Hey all, Last year I booked an all inclusive vacation with friends before I knew about the surgery. Now I'm two months out from surgery and I'll be leaving next week to head south to some beautiful beaches and fun times. However, I'm also a little worried. I have plans to work out everyday and thankfully my friends are on board with this plan. But I'm more worries about handling the food situation - making smart choices, *having* smart choices available, etc. I've never been to this place nor have I ever done all inclusive so I'm not sure what to expect. Also - ALCOHOL. I didn't plan on drinking at all but I'm also thinking I'll be in the Caribbean, on vacation, with friends. For the first time in years, feeling fabulous, looking amazing (the lowest weight I've been in nearly 10 years)... Can I drink? Once maybe? What happened to you when/if you had a drink? What are my best options for drinks? Any helpful insight/encouragement would be fabulous!! Thanks, Hana

This forum is like an alcoholic going to AA. You get the understanding, compassion and support from people who share the disease; fight the same fight, and know exactly what you're going through......because they're living it.

Carbs-fiber=netcarbs some people also subtract sugar alcohols.

food addiction and abuse are very similar to the more commonly heard of addictions of smoking, or drinking------but the difference is, you can live a perfectly normal life, and live for decades, without ever smoking or taking a drink of alcohol again. Abstinence is key. Avoid them completely to kick the addiction. With food that is not an option! We must eat. Making the right choices, or stopping with a reasonable portion is where our problems lie. And it is an addiction. We can start with all the right intentions.....but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. It would be like the smoker who quits by smoking 3 cigarettes a day---some might be able to do it, but very, very few. The band, gives you the help to make eating right, and in proper portions possible. Then once you begin losing weight, you find yourself wanting to be more physically active. It is definitely a scary prospect to lose an addiction to food. It is one that is widely accepted, as far as addictions go! Every holiday, every celebration, every milestone in life and death is accompanied by food. It was there to comfort you, and give you something to do anytime day or night. To think that all your habits must change is an overwhelming thought! What you are going through is VERY common! Many of us visited the thought of WLS at least once before we become serious enough to research it and decide it was for us! The good news is.....the band makes all the changes you worried about soooooo much easier than anticipated! The help in portion control, and the lessening of the actual hunger itself has made doing this possible!!! I could not have lost over a hundred pounds without my band. By the same token, just having the band and not working with it, I would not have lost the 100 pounds either. Some people can and do lose this much without WLS, I just know myself, and know I tried through the years, and it would not have happened. I did good for a couple of months, and could drop 40-50 pounds, and then I would begin backsliding.......and within a couple more months the weight was back plus some more! I am over 2 years out with my band, I am in a size 10---even a couple of 8's! I do not "diet" per se. I use my head when eating, and try to eat in a healthy manner. I have learned portion control, and taught myself what triggers me to eat more (carbs in my case!!) I had a total unfill of my band a couple of months ago for my Tummy Tuck, and I have yet to have it refilled. So far my habits have carried me along, and the hunger has not returned as it used to be. Before banding I would walk in the house ravenous, and just begin eating, chips, Cookies, whatever was quick and handy! Now that the hunger is not like that, I make better choices. That has been a huge difference, I have control again! Flaking out is not uncommon, and is perfectly normal. It is to be expected when you make a lifestyle change---but this one is so worth it! Kat

Sounds to me the alcohol inflammed your stomach making your band tighter. Stick to non inflammatory soft foods for a couple of days. .. it should resolve. I also found that if i travelled in a plane it would get tighter for a week or so

Yes. Your band is too tight! Dont try and wait it out...go to an emergency department niw and get the fill out for a week. Please don't try and "wait n see". Once water is coming up it means your band opening has become inflamed and the gap has closed. The risk of dehydration is very real and dangerous!! It only takes 3 days of severe dehydration to really cause damage to your organs! Dont blame the alchohol! I was banded for 7 years...alcohol was never the cause of a blockage. For me it was usually chicken...but once it was a grape skin...not chewed carefully enough. When the band was too tight practically anything could set me off on a terrible bout of vomitting, dehydration, pain, suffering.... It is not you...it is the device! I say WAS banded as i had to have the band removed. Like 80% of patients within 10 years. Many surgeons no longer work with the lgb. The risks are huge. Europe and Scandinavia (who invented the lagb) have all but banned the device. The surgery of choice now is sleeve or bypass. The story of ruptured esophagus, erosion by the band into the stomach wall, adhesions, scarring, Barretts esophagus. ....too many risks. Just get yourself to ED and get the Fluid out for at least a week. Sent from my GT-I9505 using the BariatricPal App

I waited about six months. I usually do spirits and some kind of non-carbonated mixer (unsweetened iced tea or sugar free lemonade/limeade work well). Be careful if you've lost a lot of weight, though...me at 245 could drink a LOT more than me at 95, so you definitely want to try it the first time when you're either at home or have a Designated Driver because I guarantee your tolerance will be much lower than you expect. I HAVE to limit myself to 1-2 servings (not "drinks", servings of alcohol, of which many cocktails contain more than one) or I get sloppy. I want to point out that I only drink once a month before someone pipes up to tell me I'm on a train with stops back in Fattown and Chubbyville again. Learning to indulge intelligently and moderaterly, in my opinion, is a key to long term success.

I was sleeved Oct 2013 & lost 90lbs (gained back 20 lbs) but never got to goal weight or close. I really committed to changing my lifestyle; exercising (running & weight lifting) & used myfitness pal to log food. I felt great & looked great. Then, life unraveled. In 2016 found out my husband of 20yrs was cheating on me, I realized he was an alcoholic & we divorced, I was laid off from my job & then diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. My kids were 10 & 12 at the time & I had no family to help me (both parents deceased & brother lives 3hrs away by plane). I went through 9hr surgery to remove a foot of my colon & then 7 mos of chemo & steroids. I put on 60lbs during chemo & have not been able to lose it. I had a bad fall after last chemo treatment from neuropathy in feet. I have so much pain in my knees I can’t run. Don’t know if all due to excess weight, arthritis (I’m 54), chemo, menopause? I finished my ins requirements for a revision & scheduling revision to bypass is next. But, I am so hard on myself & questioning if it will work and if I shouldn’t be messing with my body especially surviving cancer? I have regained all my weight &depressed. I hate the way I look & struggle with trying to be happy I am alive after cancer. I have heard weight loss is slower after revision. Is that always the case? Anyone else have cancer after wls & regained and had revision? I feel lost. I miss the adrenaline I used to get from working out.

Yes, let's have a party with bacon, Cheeseits, loads of alcohol, pizzas, steaks, and throw all post op instructions to the wind! After all, the Baby Stomach can go straight into eating steaks and hard to digest food, right ??? Wash it down with few wines or beers or tequilas, babies drink this too, right ??? The hell with baby type food .....

the death rate is very low, but it is normal to be scared. I wrote letters to my kids and made sure my basic affairs were in order. I don't personally know anyone who has died from WLS. I do have two relatives who died from obesity caused heart failure. My niece was 40 and my sister in law was 64 - they both dropped dead instantly; both were very heavy. I also know someone who died too young several years post gastri bypass. She was a diabetic and became an alcoholic / drug abuser. She died in her sleep - not from WLS, but from her addictions combined with the diabetes. I don't think anybody was trying to be flippant.... people just get brief in answering questions.

My best friend died about 7 moths after RNY. It still isn't clear the exact cause but I believe that it was partly due to alcohol and drugs. She moved out of state right before surgery so I wasn't there all the time, but prior to surgery she had some serious alcohol issues that she was in denial about and also used a lot of recreational drugs. Before she died, she was having trouble regulating her blood sugar due to drinking so much at night. I still miss her all the time. When I went into surgery, it was on my mind but I just figured that if it was time to punch my card, dying while under anesthesia wouldn't be a bad way to go, all things considered. I could think of a lot worse scenarios. I trusted my team and told those I love that I loved them and reassured them that I was in good hands. I have made a firm commitment to do everything my surgeon tells me to do, even when I think I know better or when it's hard. I selected him because I believed he was the best and getting out of my own way and doing the work is what will make all the difference.

Trigger Warning: ..............................Yes. My dad is a food pusher. We have a very strained relationship now but growing up he would make 3 different dinners at once and have me eat a bit of all of it and then call me fat and bully me. He use to buy packs and packs of ramen noodles and hide them in my things like my desk/book bag/purse as I started becoming overweight as a child. I still can't eat ramen to this day because it brings me back to those moments. Hed tell me how ugly and fat I was but then push huge amounts of food on me. He's from a country where food is unstable and grew up incredibly poor so when he came to the US and saw how abundant food was he constantly buys food and cooks. He's a big reason why I had a bad relationship to food for so long/why im still working through it and why I still have self esteem issues. He's thin and in shape but has a serious problem with alcohol. I didn't tell him about my surgery because a) he wouldn't understand given a language barrier and he's treated me horribly over the years because I'm fat and the last thing I want is to hear those words but about my surgery. He's picked up on the fact that I had a weight loss procedure done. He tries to mend our relationship but still offers food because he doesn't know how else to show love. He offers me healthy stuff now but I simply just decline because I'm not ready to explain anything to him or become closer. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

@@Sharon1964 Good god, this is a big bowl of "word salad." I'm going to guess it was made by someone trolling. http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-word-salad.html The term word salad refers to a random words or phrases linked together in an often unintelligible manner. Often, a listener is unable to understand the meaning or purpose of the phrase. Mental health issues can often be the cause of disorganized speech such as word salad. ** See: "Beg your pardon?" Conditions that Lead to Speaking a Word Salad ** Trolling, alcohol and recreational drugs Dementia Schizophrenia Logorrhea Schizophasia Receptive aphasia Anoxic brain injury Word Salad Examples ** the original post by the op and most of the follow-up The sheep languished blue trains suffer Windows books dogs hands run Run desk making dinner sunglasses menu Folders pile swimming red clouds Sadness cups coffee printer power outage Porch steps run come here Dogs sleep chicken pencil trees E-mail purple orange swims blackened Garbage pink composition solely bags speak deodorant Take sharpness filling soda cans Wetness smooth dancing sheep Horse paper handbags skipping forests play together In worlds with pencils, schools page drink slime Loving living nectar of bees of pollen and butterflies run amok Children bikes cars sliding Typing while sleeping and running while cat Over the hills, cloud blue a shelf lay fuschia Labels and rash, files are landing Wall speaks windy hot mess Brightness foresees the rug Dirty slime amidst antiquated hoopla Take shirt slam crazy bike tires in afternoon Amongst all confused working fly Sensibly effort compound bed bubble Kings sense jester realize tongues poetry Words hard journal describe impossible Religious hair coma machine idea hate Interesting hospital interpreting description extreme encounter Junction one distant fragile mine Death wretched addled else finally chant mind sea backgrounds Obey space cat disjointed languages swearing admit stranger bit dressing Picture cake chocolate rambling UFO solar here fuse barking Online signature basic color sleep ideas class Dog bike cat sat sit down under sleep jump Now later red cat boat ship house girl Word Salad on TV Word Salad is also sometimes used for comedic reasons on television, in music, movies, and other media. Some examples are: The Muppet Show's music often contains words strung together that do not make sense The Happy Noodle Boy comics by Jhonen Vasquez Hubba Hubba Zoot Zoot, a song by Carumba Worm Quartet, a comedy music act Drinking Out of Cups, spoken word by Dan Deacon Hatsune Miku's song Francium Popular website LOLCats Rutland Weekend Television's sketch “Gibberish” by Eric Idle Monty Python's Flying Circus Some of the comics of Calvin And Hobbe's A stand-up act by now deceased George Carlin included Word Salads such as “Niz fluk bwarney quando floo!” The play Dogg's Hamlet by Tom Stoppard Now you have seen a lot of different examples of word salad. Since word salad is just nonsense words or phrases, you can easily create your own examples at any time.

That's interesting perspective. I'm not totally sure I agree with you. I cook a lot and 20 minutes is not really realistic. And then there is the shopping and the planning. Yes it is better to cook a huge batch and freeze it and I will do that when I can, but that's not always realistically going to happen, especially when I go back to school (I am a teacher). I didn't get fat primarily from fast food, I got fat because I'm a great cook and could never figure out how to cook for one. That's not going to get any easier with the micro portions I can have now. I think a certain amount of practicality is important. Yes I admit I am an addict. But what makes food addiction the most difficult addiction (IMO) is the fact that you can't just stop eating like you can with drug or alcohol addiction. I feel like I need to have "safe foods" I can get on the go and not just tie myself to my kitchen.

About a month post op I had a rum and pineapple juice at our company's holiday party at a restaurant. No problem, and no big buzz. Now I'm staying away from alcohol because (a) I'm concerned it will weaken my resolve against eating junk food; and ( I'm trying to take in as few carbs as possible.

Just to say one last thing, the point of my post, and I should have been more clear, is that there are a lot of newly sleeved people ( think a few days, a few weeks out of surgery) asking when they can drink alcohol, eat ice cream, and eat pizza. To me it seems that I'd be more concerned about the healthier side of having this tool. To me that ideology makes sense. Am I glad they ask? Sure. Knowledge is power and it's safer for people to ask than not. But what makes it hard to swallow are the few who actually admit to eating the unhealthy stuff a month out and then tell others, "sure go ahead, no problem, eat it." We are all different and how our tastes and appetites react will be different from one another, our bodies respond different. But that's not the point, the point is how "healthy", not just in terms of weight loss, but nutritional value is drinking, ice cream, tacos and pizza. You know? I've actually read a post recently where some someone speaks casually about eating three whole tacos, and another four bananas in a sitting. One post here, the other FB. Is that cool? Does anyone want to encourage it? Would I want that example? I'm sorry my initial post wasn't as clear as it should have been but hopefully people understand more where I'm coming from.

Ok So i'm almost 8 day's into liquid diet Pre-Op. I actually made it through the weekend yay! Caffeine withdrawel headache has subsided compeltely but sunday i had a total meltdown and had a cup of caffeine FREE coffee with fat free skim and a splenda.. so if that is cheating then i'm sorry but it was heaven and really helped me throughout the day . I've not had any food thats not on the list of liquids and i don't plan to, but my weekend needed that ! I have givin up smoking from 2 packs a day to zip 0, alcohol, and food and caffeine. I think i'm doing great! woot woot.. surgery next monday 9/20/10

I tried alcoholic apple cider a few months after surgery and was fine. Haven't touched alcohol since .