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So I have an incredibly controversial and rather personal question for the lovely people of BariatricPal. I’ll be upfront, I’m a 20 year old guy in college so pre-op I was a party animal. My question doesn’t relate to alcohol but to illicit-drug use.. I understand this is a super touchy subject but is there anyone that would be willing to share how they get felt or reacted to the use of illicit drugs (molly, snow, bars etc.)

Wow quite the response. You are your own person and I don’t wanna make any rash judgement but from what you said I think slowing down on alcohol is a good idea. As WLS patients we all suffered from some degree of food addiction and I just don’t want you to transfer that addiction to alcohol. Glad to see you’re still maintaining a healthy weight and not reverting to your old self. Just be careful, wish you the best

There are a few controversial topics that get some strong (and not-so-strong) opinions/responses on this forum. Alcohol consumption is one of them. With that said, I am a maintainer and a regular drinker. Aside: I have mixed feelings about saying this even as I type this, as I don't want to inadvertently influence someone to drink if they are of the type who may spiral. I often drop hints about my drinking habits in more light-hearted threads (i.e., the food thread or the clothes thread), but in threads specifically asking about alcohol by those in the early stages, I have pause. But, we are all adults here and can make our own choices, so here goes: Prior to WLS, I didn't drink regularly, but if/when I did, I drank ALOT. Think sloppy drunk. It was always at parties or nights out, and never at home (if we hosted parties, I'd drink, but not get drunk cuz I mean, I had hosting responsibilities after all, LOL). During weight loss phase, I must have drank maybe 5-6 times the entire time. And it was very little, less than 1/4 of a single serving, if that. The first time I drank after surgery was 3 weeks post op. I had 2 sips of red wine at a party, and it was weird...I remember feeling the liquid in my stomach and the warmth of it travel through my intestines and I got surprisingly tipsy for so little that I drank. The second time I had a drink was 3-4 sips of a soju-sake concoction around 1-2 months post op and I had the most horrible dumping experience soon after. Like laying on the bathroom floor horrible. It was the sugar in it. The handful of times I drank after that (during weight loss phase) I stuck to gin/vodka sodas & dry red wine. I was definitely affected with just a few sips, and the effects wore off pretty quickly. Now, lets talk maintenance. Freed from having to stay under a self-imposed calorie limit, I drank more. I drank more often than I did pre-op, but less overall, even including my occasional pre-op benders. I no longer only got to sloppy level when I drank, but to just a good buzz. And again, only when I was out and about. I'd say I had maybe 1-3 drinks a week. I still got buzzed relatively quickly (less than one full drink), and the effects did not last long (less than an hour). There were maybe 4-5 times I got pretty trashed during this time (i'm guessing on like 5-6 drinks), all while on some vacation or other, and once at a wedding. Then came lockdown in March last year. I was about 1.5 years out when Covid reared its ugly head, and just under a year into maintenance. My drinking increased exponentially over a couple months. These days, I drink at least one drink a day (usually two, occasionally much more, on those nights we have an extended dinner seating time, or when it was patio season last summer). Now according to the literature I have read, based on volume alone, I am an alcoholic. Go figure. Am I concerned? Honestly nowadays, not really. I did contemplate it in the beginning, especially cuz Mr would keep bringing up how my drinking has increased (in a joking way mostly...but he should talk, he drinks every day too. Almost always has...his drinking also increased with Covid. Granted, he has more mass than I do and has the metabolism of a hummingbird). It's been almost a year of this daily drinking now, and while I believe I could benefit from cutting down, I don't see it as an issue at the moment in terms of any decrease in quality of life or my own safety or the safety of those around me (but I suppose this is what anyone who drinks would say). We'll see. Back in the summer we agreed that each person in the house can call a "dry day" at any point and everyone must abide to no drinking that day. Though to date, no one has called it. That probably speaks to the mentality we got going on here, lol. I did a couple "dry weeks" on my own accord months ago, just to prove to Mr. & myself I didn't have a problem...these weeks went by uneventfully, but I'm not sure if it really proved anything. Very long story short, while I'm not advocating nor discouraging drinking either way to anyone, as with anything else in life, the hope is that you can be self-aware enough to know what YOUR acceptable limits are and try to stay within them. Sorry this was so long. Good Luck ❤️ P.S. In case you were wondering, I have pretty much maintained my weight (115 lbs +/- 5lbs) this entire time. Last year I reached my acceptable upper limit (120 lbs for more than 3-4 days in a row) twice and then switched gears to get back to 115. First time took me 3-4 weeks, second time took me 3-4 months (granted, I didn't try very hard). Today I am actually 6 lbs under my "normal", BUT I'm in transition at the moment as I've had zero exercise for about a month due to injury and i'm trying to offset that with a reduction in calories...and yeah, I haven't found the right level yet...so this is temporary, as far as I'm concerned. BUT I'm still drinking, lol, am just having less dessert 😜 P.P.S. I also smoke. But that's a whole other topic...

Well, I am only 1.5 years out... but I concur with just about everything you said! Sleeve was definitely quick... but I think I was in the OR just a little bit longer... but not by much. And I concur... they should offer this as an option to lower BMI people more often. Benefits far outweigh the risks in my opinions. About telling people... yes yes yes! Before surgery especially! Before surgery I waited until mid-way through my pre-op appointments before even telling hubby, knowing he wouldn't like it. Good choice because it meant he had less time to talk me out of it. And by the time he knew my mind was made up. Told daughter a few days before because she lived with me and would know I didn't come home for a night and didn't go to work for several weeks lol. Beyond that... I had a COUPLE people at work who knew. After? I told my boys several weeks afterwards... just before one was coming home for a visit from college. I never did tell anyone else in my family. But when I returned to work I slowly started telling other people until my entire office knew. I like the way I did it. Still have no intention of EVER telling the rest of my family lol. Honeymoon phase... I believe this is true - though I am not as far out as you since I just had my 18 month appointment 2 weeks ago. I just recently started gaining weight in the last couple of months and am currently trying to nip it in the bud. I like my weight the way it had been for nearly a year, so I plan to try harder to maintain. Unsure about counting calories. Right now I am going back to it to make sure I get back on track... but I think once I remind myself what portion sizes look like at the right calories... then I will probably go back to measuring a bit better. I do avoid drinks with sugars at all costs. Alcohol... that is the only that I don't have much experience with. I haven't had more than a couple sips on rare occasions. Just don't feel I want or need it... but not going out of my way to avoid it on purpose.

I think that a LOT of people have the reacation "All fat people self medicate with food...why should anyone be delayed from weight loss surgery because they do? Are the therapists on a power trip, are they just making money?" There is some truth in this...that nearly all of us medicate with food. But why is that an issue? There's a very common phenominon that occurs with bariatric surgery called cross or transfer addiction. It is said to affect about 30% of people who have surgery. When people find they can't eat to self medicate, they can switch to other addictions for relief. Not just alcohol and drugs. They can also become sex/intimacy addicts. They can start spending too much, gambling, there are a lot of ways for this to manifest. Exercise addiction. Controlling behaviors with family/children. Annorexia. Most of us think of annorexia as something absurd that could never happen to us....but it happens! Same disordered eating...just a different expression of it. Also, there's a reason they call it divorce surgery. It can and does add strain to a relationships to have dynamics change profoundly. Eating is a big part of socializing, relaxing, relating to family, friends, coworkers. Eating dysfunction can be familial and codependent. There are some big changes that go with this whole process. Sometimes, they're easy changes, and sometimes they're not. Sometimes they cause all hell to break loose for the person inside them. Also, there is tremendous risk of remission...where you lose weight for a little while, then the food addiction and disordered eating come roaring back and you can physically injure yourself if you don't have other coping mechanisms in place. I am not saying that ANY of these situations describe any particular posters here any more than they could potentially describe all of us. Just sayin....if at your psych eval your therapist recommends more support, more preparation....that can be a good and responsible thing to do for yourself. That can help guarantee your best chances. It can make this time of change more joyful and less stressful. It can make you more successful in the long run. Figuring this stuff out is a great investment in yourself. Best wishes to all.

I didn't try alcohol until nearly a year post-surgery. Everything changed. Before surgery, I could drink wine or mixed drinks and develop a lovely mild buzz that would last for about an hour or two. After surgery, I had to give up wine and mixed drinks because of the new effects they had on me. I'd feel nothing for about 30-45 minutes after drinking, then suddenly feel extremely inebriated -- overwhelmed -- and the whooziness would last for several hours, plus sometimes I'd then get a bad headache. And diarrhea (TMI). These days I only drink one can of beer (Guinness Stout) at home. I wouldn't dare drink away from home because of the possibility of severe inebriation. A blood/alcohol card listing weight and BAC showed that hypothetically, a person of my weight would reach a BAC of .10 after drinking just one and one half glasses of wine! If and when you're ready to introduce alcohol back into your life, definitely drink at home first so you can find out how the alcohol now affects you. About a year ago, a woman posted that she drank alcohol at a party and felt completely fine driving home but during the drive she suddenly became overwhelmed by drunkenness and had to pull over and lie down in her seat. She got a DUI.

Hi all so I’ve tried searching for this but couldn’t find anything. I’m personally no where near the maintenance phase but for those who are do you imbibe? Is it anywhere as much as before? Does alcohol really hit you that much harder?

I struggled with my drinking after surgery. I thought I could drink the way I used to (a six pack and some shots) and I began to experience blackouts and found that I was substituting the food for alcohol. Bad idea. I was passing out and blacking out and doing som every stupid stuff. I joined AA and am now 7 months sober.

My poop suddenly turned black after I began drinking wine again. I had blood work done and discovered that my liver rates were elevated. I stopped drinking wine and other mixed drinks, and within 30 days, my liver levels had returned to normal. Apparently, my post-WLS system does not tolerate and process alcohol well.

I drank too much wine one night (a very regular occurrence for me) and in bed before falling asleep I said something to my husband about WLS. I had honestly not put a lot of thought into WLS. The next morning, my husband said he wanted to talk about something I had said the night before (oh crap...what did I say?). He asked me if I had truly considered WLS. During that conversation, I began to consider the possibility. There were lots of tears and guilt for being a failure at losing weight on my own, but my health was really starting to suffer. I had no energy and lots of joint pain in addition to new diabetes and a sleep apnea diagnosis. This was on top of my hypertension and high cholesterol. I also had recently been diagnosed with very early macular degeneration, for which my weight was a risk factor (I have a very strong genetic pre-disposition for it). I was only 46 years old. I did not want my health issues to define the rest of my life. Less than 8 months after that conversation I had my RNY. Now, 8 months post-op, my vision is stable. I no longer have joint pain, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, or sleep apnea. I am fit and active. I love my second chance! ps. I rarely drink alcohol these days and when I do, it is typically one glass of wine. 😊

WOW! You seem like you've got this! All I did prior was cut back on alcohol. I think if you can manage those changes you'll be better off than I was and I'm doing alright! The only thing I can think of is to try out recipe's and new snacks that are post surgery friendly so that you already have an idea of what you like. Also trying to reduce your sugar intake (drink less juice, soda etc.). I actually found that I love crystal lite...

Curious what changes (if any) folks made to their diet while waiting for their surgery date? I'm trying to make some changes now so adjusting to a new lifestyle won't be quite as dramatic after surgery. I want to set myself up for success as much as possible. So far I have done the following: - cut way back on my coffee (only one cup caffeinated every other day) - water intake up to 100 ounces a day - tracking my food and limiting carbs to less than 120g a day - trying to teach myself to eat 5 times a day instead of 3 (this has been a big change because I had finally gotten used to only eating 3 times a day...my new program wants folks eating 5 times a day so something is eaten every 3-4 hours) - focusing on protein first - cut fast food down to 2 times a week - cut out alcohol - adding in walks, though not consistently yet Any thing else I can do to help prepare myself more for this new lifestyle?

Hello. Yes i take something like nexium, parriet. My dr prescribed parriet to take for a month on the morning. I dont have reflux, i made also hiatal hernia surgery before the sleeve thats why i don't feel the reflux thanks God. About the alcohol, im not addicted to it but i have mane occasions coming and i was checking if it was ok to have one glass. Sent from my SM-F700F using BariatricPal mobile app

Give it time. This all very new & you’ll have a lot of learning on the way. I’m about 22 months out & I still don’t eat bread, wraps, or similar. It’s a combination of my choice & I expect it will sit heavily in my tummy limiting what else I can eat like the soya bean pasta did when I tried that. I do eat multigrain crackers which I started in maintenance. I suffered from painful hiccups for decades & it wasn’t until I was prescribed Nexium (esomeprazole) did I find some relief - it actually stopped them after a few minutes. Have you been prescribed esomeprazole? Many sleevers do as it helps with the acid production & reflux. Also are you eating/sipping slowly? Eating or drinking too quickly can set my hiccups off. Your tummy is pretty sensitive & cantankerous to begin (like a two yr old). A lot of things can cause it throw a tantrum & upset you one day but then be fine the next. Treat it gently to begin. A lot of us had a very limited diet for some time - eating the same couple of things & then slowly adding foods when we could tolerate them. Lots of trial & error. Now I eat anything I want. As for alcohol, check with your medical team. I had a glass at about 2/3 (took hours to drink) & then nothing for a while. I still don’t drink often. Maybe once a month. Don’t miss it. The worry about alcohol is addiction swapping - food to alcohol. Good luck.

These pxts of our alcohol stashes are fabulous. Don’t feel nearly as guilty now - tee hee! I love a good cocktail napkin. Your mum is the best @WishMeSmaller. I love a good martini. Gin of course & plenty of olives - gotta get your daily serve of fruit in. A friend used to make a pretty mean chocolate martini but he’s in Denmark now - waah! And there used to be a great little cafe/restaurant in Brisbane that made a to die for lychee martini too. So good! And I so do enjoy the salty goodness of a margarita. Ok @WishMeSmaller, @BayougirlMrsS & @ms.sss we just need to find a date for our cocktail party. Welcome @dms75. Hope to see lots more of your posts. We do go off on tangents sometimes,, like fridge shots, here sometimes but it adds to the fun.

Xylitol is probably the only sugar alcohol (so far) that doesn't have a laxative effect on me, and I use to chew a lot of it in th past.

I agree, it will get better! Each day, you can eat a little more, find something you like, etc. Bread may not be the best option, but I have had bread, albeit not a lot and not at every meal. Same with alcohol, but again, not nearly as much as pre-surgery, maybe one to two drinks a couple of times per week. I started with a little drink about 6 weeks out.

I've never been a gum chewer, but I do eat sugar free breath mints occasionally. If you have dry mouth, try the ones with xylitol in them if you can find some. It's a sugar alcohol so it may give you G/I issues, but it doesn't for everyone (luckily, it's never bothered me). Xylitol supposedly stimulates saliva production, which can help with the dry mouth. There are also sprays, mouthwashes, and lozenges for dry mouth. Any pharmacy or places like Walmart or Target should have some...

Another thing, when do you think it's best to have a glass of alcohol? Sent from my SM-F700F using BariatricPal mobile app

You may want to chat with your nutritionist about gum and if/when it can be reintroduced. Chewing gum gets the tummy excited, it thinks its going to get food, it's starts the digestive process, the stomach produces acid in readiness of food it needs to break down, except there isn't any food and the acid can upset the stomach. Perhaps best to chew just before a meal. Some people also belief that chewing gum can cause swallowing of air into the stomach, causing gas. Also some sugar-free gum contain the alcohol sweetners (mostly those ending in ...itol) which can have a laxative effect causing the stomach to be gassy etc. At the end of the day you are an adult you are free to try whenever you choose, but generally I would suggest at least listen to your professional team while you are still in the healing and early weight loss stages.

I know what you mean about celebrity products @ms.sss. Have you seen how much the Rock pushes his tequila & energy drink on Instagram? I’d unfollow him but his posts with his daughter are gosh darn cute. Mind you friends & I bought Bill Murray’s vodka. We have a bit of a soft spot for Bill but the main reason was the skull head it came in. I mean I haven’t drunk vodka in decades. How about some alcohol fridge porn. The fruit & vege drawers are full of champagne cause what else would you keep in them. Lol! Bill’s skull is behind the Hendrix’s gin. Actually. I might need to restock. There’s a few empty spots. Guess what I’ve been doing today? Yep, Mother of the Bride dress shopping again. My friend loves the dress we found except for the round neck which I can understand. No luck at all today & we’ve exhausted all the well known & lesser known labels. She’s becoming depressed about it. Everything is either waisted (which she can’t do cause of her body shape), round necked, wrong colours, too short.... Sigh.

I struggle to get over 500 to be honest. I'm a bit worried about it so my dietician said more mini snacks between meals...which goes against my plan dammit! Snacks are what bite me in the backside when it comes to weight, and alcohol. I am 9 weeks post Op today

I haven't been here in five years, but I thought I should share what I've learned on this journey... 1. My sleeve was a very minor surgery. Less than 30 minutes passed between being knocked out and the recovery room. Quite frankly, I think this option should be more widely available for marginally obese people. Unlike the other bariatric surgeries - which change your plumbing, this is simply the removal of the stretchy part of the stomach. 2. Think long and hard about who you tell. I told a handful of family members and I think that was a mistake. I suggest you either tell everyone, or just the absolute minimum (spouse or care giver). Within the first year I was sure everyone knew and I felt I was being dishonest. 3. The honeymoon is real. For 18 months it's virtually impossible to gain weight, but after that, you most certainly can. My smaller stomach can hold 8-10 ounces of food and get refilled after about an hour. If you fill it with sugar or fat and keep refilling it, you can certainly get back all your weight. I initially lost about 90 pounds and that was too much. People kept asking me if I had cancer. I've since put 25 pounds back on and while I wish it was 15, it's fine. My weight is what it was when I was an athlete in college. I have used my reduced weight and energy to excercise and I think that has helped. I generally do 100,000 steps a week. Again, eating/drinking the wrong stuff and not exercising would surely lead to more weight gain. 4. I no longer count calories, but I do have a few tricks to keep things in check. I have designed a menu with a lot of 200-500 calorie meals and I have 3-4 of these every day. I burn enough EXTRA calories a day exercising to offset the calories I drink (I only drink 100 calorie cocktails - nothing sugary). 5. There's a lot of good and bad information on alcohol on this site. I waited 6 weeks (the European guideline) and the eased in with weak cocktails and wine. I don't think it hits me harder, but since I'm likely to have less food in my stomach, the effect is to be hit harder. I can see no reason to wait 6 months or a year other than minimizing caloric intake. The Sleeve is a timeout from your bad lifestyle, but it's not a permanent timeout. At some point you'll create a new lifestyle that will include birthday cakes, pizza, French fries and booze. You need to manage around all of these risky consumables. You should think about it ll as you enter your journey, never stop reevaluating, and constantly adjust. I hope this helps someone...