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Coke is a highly additive drug, and then there is the complication of transfer of an addiction. Some people after weight loss surgery transfer a food addiction to alcohol or drugs. As above, hopefully at the very least she can be encouraged to be discuss with her doctor.

I am 2 yrs 4 months out They never tell u puking will never be the same when I throw up it jus looks like pink slime. You have to gag up ur puke. And when you drink alcohol and you feel so sick you try to throw up and you can not no matter how hard you try. Surgery was worth it and u will get usta the way you throw up but I wish there was alot more info lol Sent from my LG-M150 using BariatricPal mobile app

Alcoholism is a terrible disease. Yes, I said disease. It isn't about willpower or lack thereof, or just choosing not to drink. To an alcoholic it is a coping mechanism for whatever, stress, uncomfortable emotions. One little drink won't hurt. But there is never one little drink. I grew up in an alcoholic household; I didn't understand it, I tried to help stop it, during every attempt, but nothing helped until my parent decided to do it for themself. I still didn't really understand, since I'd never had an addiction. I viewed my parent as weak-willed. I didn't understand until I found my own addiction: cigarettes. They were the hardest thing to give up 25 years ago, but I was able to use a new tool - the nicotine patch - that changed my habits while weaning me off the nicotine. I will never forget how grateful I was for that tool! I still had to do the work, but the tool helped so much. Now, I'm fighting my unhealthy addiction to food and am planning to use my new weight-loss surgery tool to help me make changes for the better. It isn't a magic pill, it doesn't do it for you, and it isn't temporary. That's like having a temporary fix for alcohol. You're going to go back to it. No. Weight loss surgery is permanent. You have to change what you do with food and how you look at food. It takes hard work every single day. But, it's not impossible. As I'm struggling with my own addictions now, I can have more empathy with my parent all those years ago for struggling to and not quite being able to give up their drinking. If you've never had an addiction, then you just aren't going to understand. Your husband may have to hit "bottom" before he decides to do something about his addictions, and then he will really need your support and willingness to help him in any way possible. I understand your frustrations since it is affecting your and your childrens' lives. This is still on him, though. You can't do it for him, he has his free will. What you have to decide is whether or not you are committed enough to wait for him. Wishing you both all the best!

Honestly, the only advise I have to give is to seek counseling. You both need counseling, together and separately. You need it for your marriage to become stronger. He needs it to figure out what is driving him to drink and overeat. You may need it for other reasons, but I don't know you so I won't pretend that I do. But counseling will help both of you work through your issues and perhaps help him overcome some of what is driving him to drink and overeat. And with that... he may CHOSE to lose weight. He may CHOSE to have surgery to help him. But it has to be HIS choice. And you have to figure out whether you can love him the way he is. Can you love him despite alcoholism? Can you love him despite the fact that he makes unhealthy choices? Can you love him despite the fact that he is fat? If the answer to any of these is "NO", then you need to consider whether or not you should be married in the first place. Or if you decide you want to be married, you need to figure out how to live with him if he doesn't change. Only you know what is in your heart and what you can live with and who you can love through anything. But deal with both of your issues so that if he has surgery (or not), you can support him in a way that will actually help him. And if he wants surgery, go to the appointments with him. Talk to the surgeon and nutritionist WITH him. Surgery is a wonderful tool for weight loss. I hope he takes advantage of it, but he has to be ready for this change.

Since the topic of WLS, alcohol, and France was brought up, I looked through about ten French articles about the subject. In France, TEN TIMES more people (per capita) undergo WLS than in the U.S., most likely due to the fact that WLS is covered by their Securite Sociale. Only one article mentioned when patients could resume drinking alcohol. It mentioned between three and six months. But the French articles about weight loss surgery were much more precautious about the effects of alcohol post-surgery. Every single one warned that alcohol was much differently and more quickly absorbed after WLS. Here's one example: l’alcoolémie augmente plus vite, plus haut et descend moins vite après l’ingestion de la boisson. Du fait de la dérivation intestinale et de la petite poche gastrique, l’absorption de l’alcool après by-pass est beaucoup plus rapide : avec un verre de vin le seuil légal d’alcoolémie (0,5 g/L) est atteint au bout de quelques minutes (alors que ce n’était pas le cas avant la chirurgie). Translation: The blood alcohol level rises faster, higher and goes down more slowly after ingestion of the drink. Due to the intestinal bypass and the small gastric pouch, the absorption of alcohol after bypass is much more fast : with a glass of wine the legal blood alcohol threshold (0.5 g / L) is reached after a few minutes (whereas this was not the case before surgery).

Tread lightly, and google "weight loss surgery alcoholism" as there are many studies that say 1 in 5 WLS patients end up with alcohol problems. I knew this personally before I ever started the process, b/c I have a friend who had WLS 10 years ago, and then spent the next 9 years in and out of inpatient care for alcoholism. She lost custody of her children in the process as well. She is currently sober for 6 months or so, but still living in a group home. I don't know if she belongs to some kind of support group for WLS/alcoholism, but sometimes she will post something on FB about it, and will get tons of replies from other women who indicate they had the same problems with alcoholism following WLS. I confess that I stalked her FB thoroughly as I was making the decision to have WLS myself. I decided that if I was going to have WLS, I was going to abstain from alcohol for life. I was never a big drinker (maybe 10 times a year at social events, weddings, etc), so for me to make the commitment to never drink again isn't a big deal. I do understand that would be more difficult for someone who is used to relaxing with a glass of wine every night. I would never suggest that everyone who has WLS needs to abstain from alcohol for life, but would just ask everyone to be careful. If after drinking you feel the slightest bit out of control, start craving alcohol, etc, please seek help before it's too late. Sorry to ramble, but seeing what this friend has gone through is truly heartbreaking, and I thought about her a lot as I decided whether or not to have the surgery.

It was my doctor that told me that the stomach does not digest alcohol the same way as before surgery. He was the one that told me that your metabolism does not process acohol effectively and yes a sip would affect differently post surgery I don't think anyone is on here to scare anyone. We are just sharing information told to us by our medical professionals.

Strangely, my surgeon's written rule for alcohol was wait one year, especially after his only fatality was a patient who binge-drank and died of alcohol poisoning. But when I went for my six month checkup, my surgeon had said "If you want to have an occasional glass of wine, it's okay." Nonetheless, I haven't touched alcohol. For me, it would be a slippery slope.

I enjoy craft and specialty beers, when I user to live close to a WOB location it was a weekly visit. Unfortunately, where I live now there is no local WOB but the question about drinking beer & alcohol drinks was one of my top 5 questions and I was not very happy with the answer. All thee surgeons I spoke to over the course of about a year (Since May 2019) said the same thing: NO Alcohol drinks, including beer during the first year post-op. ☹️

I always hated water too. But I was early in on DNA testing (15+ years ago) and have run it through several scientific data bases. I was not surprised to find out I am what they sometimes call a “super taster” - someone who has a gene that results in tasting bitter tastes far more strongly than others. I would bet you have the same gene. So alcohol? Bleck! Black coffee? Not happening. And I never liked water, it has a slight bitterness. Explained a lot I thought since what covers bitter coffee taste? Sugar and cream and lots of it. I cannot drink water plain so I was delighted she the water enhances (SF) came out. They make all the difference for me!

You guys. Wow. Thank you for the responses. I mentioned earlier that we have other marriage problems... most of our marriage (since I was pregnant with #1 so 8 years at least) has been fighting about beer/drinking and also his weight gain/unhealthy life choices. I realized last year that he was early stage alcoholic, he uses it for coping with stress from a high power job. Didn’t know what being an alcoholic really meant until I educated myself and once I figured it out I was done (another story for another day). Once I realized this I was very clear, quit or we are getting divorced. Through a few ups and downs the last few months he’s admitted he has an alcohol addiction and had quit. But this has to also go hand and hand with the weight gain. The two have been so intertwined. I feel bad for him, I want to help him and I’ve told him for a long time that I want him to get healthy so he can be around for the kids and me. ugh this is so complicated. Sorry to spill here. My life is complicated. I go to therapy myself and we’ve gone together as well. So much therapy. I worry that if he decides on WLS it will only be to save our marriage and I don’t know if that’s a good enough reason to do it, I don’t want him unhappy with his decision and ending up making things worse. yes, I also think deep down he’s depressed and I pray he works through that with his therapist. so I guess I support him if he decides to look more into WLS. We have a consultation tomorrow so I guess I’ll learn more there.

@Xx1jpt5xx alluded to this, but I want to emphasize it. I think it might help you understand your husband if you think about his weight and eating as an addiction, not a failing of willpower. There are studies that show that foods, especially highly palatable ones, trigger the same brain chemicals as illicit drugs. Food scientists know this and engineer food to be more palatable because it keeps you coming back for more. Unlike other addictions (alcohol, drugs, gambling...), you have to have food to survive so abstinence isn't an option. I think compassion and empathy will get you a lot farther with him than trying to convince and coerce. Most of us fighting against obesity already have a ton of shame and feel like failures that we can't just fix it. It sounds like he is aware there is an issue and wants to do something different. That is a positive in this. I am also glad he has a partner like you that clearly loves him and wants the best for him. Maybe look into tips for supporting people with addictions and try to translate those to this situation. It might also help if you and your husband attended an information seminar at a local bariatric center so you have more information on the process and procedures.

some people get that from eating too many carbs - or from eating things with sugar alcohols in them (sugar alcohols are in "sugar free" items and usually end in -itol. Like xylitol. Or sorbitol. I can tolerate them just fine, but some people get really gassy when they eat them.

It’s a definite deal breaker. Alcohol has tons of sugar and turns directly into fat. It is likely that without giving up the wine (temporarily) you will be rejected for the surgery. I sip wine from time to tone now but my tolerance is so low now. A quarter glass gets me pretty drunk lol Good luck.

Ask your team about there alcohol policy/timeline ❤

we were advised by my clinic not to drink any alcohol until we were at least a year out.

Well, I'll be honest. I drink a bottle and a half of wine a night. I told my psych and now I'm worried that I'll be refused the surgery. I've read that the doctors might consider alcoholism to be a dealbreaker. I decided to go to AA meetings to try to stop, if that's worth anything as far as surgery goes.

If anyone is in Louisiana and wants to do an Alcohol Free challenge , you can still sign up. You don’t have to live in Louisiana to join the Facebook group and play along

Anyone who thinks they are above transfer addiction is delusional. I have noticed I am spending too much on clothing lately. I need to keep an eye on it. It isn’t a problem yet but it could be... I wish the best for all of you struggling with alcohol. Hugs!

Congratulations on acknowledging that you have a problem with alcohol and resize something is wrong. Are you interested in 12 steps? If not can you meet with your doctor? My husband and I stopped drinking a little over a year ago. It was very rough for him. I was never a big drinker and never drank beer, so me quitting in support of him was right to do. Do you have sober friends? We found out that hanging out with other sober peep and having fun while sober, retrained our brains so to speak to start to realize that we can have fun without alcohol. If you need to talk, PM me. Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

Unfortunately, it's a life long problem. You can't ever be 'cured' of alcoholism. The only solution is to NEVER drink again. THat's a real tough notion for most of us.

I’ll try and keep this as brief as possible. Sorry if I rant on and on. As I went from 240 lbs to 390 lbs between 2009-2019 I slowly hid myself away from friends and family. The truth is I was in denial about how bad things were getting and I was embarrassed. I was ashamed of how I couldn’t keep up with my friends just walking around the city or fitting into booths at restaurants for family milestones. I was out of breath walking into work from the parking lot. I felt like if I could avoid these things in front of other people, if other people couldn’t confirm how limited I had become, it somehow made it less true. I have missed SO many adventures and huge important events in my loved ones lives simply because I was physically unable. This hurts my heart. In 2018 I ditched a good friend’s bachelorette weekend out of town because I was so anxious about how I wouldn’t be able to keep up with everyone. Like literally I could not walk around and I felt ridiculous going to clubs with girls wearing their best outfits and me in an oversized T-shirt. By that point I couldn’t stand for 5 mins without my lower back screaming. Our friendship has not been the same since. I have always thought that was the turning point in our friendship. Now fast forward to late 2019. I happened to be invited to another good friend’s bachelorette weekend. This is a friend I met in college and we were so close we lived together for a couple of years. This is also when my depression/weight gain really got bad. I did my best to hide it, but I’m sure it was obvious. Over the last 7 years I have make excuses to avoid meeting up with her because she is so active. I even prayed she wouldn’t ask me to be a bridesmaid. How sad is that? I really didn’t think I could make it through the dress shopping bit. Pre-surgery I was 390 lbs and a size 26. This friend has run the NYC marathon and I was at least 220 lbs heavier than any other girl in her friend circle. When I was invited on the bachelorette weekend I immediately thought of ways to get out of it. I told one of the maids of honor that I didn’t think it would be a good idea since it was still early after surgery and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel. Well it’s been almost 5 months and I’ve been so lucky to have zero complications. My mobility is much better too. I am also sober by choice. I was never a big drinker anyways. I partied pretty hard as a teen so by the time I got to college I was somewhat past that phase. It doesn’t make me feel good and now with a sleeve I feel like alcohol serves me no purpose. Anyways what I am looking for is real honest advice. I feel immense guilt over declining this invite. I have thought about how I would feel if I was my friend. I could see how she would be upset or disappointed. Am I wrong to not go? I don’t drink and I’m trying so hard to stick to my diet. I know if I really wanted to I could make it work. I don’t want people to tell me what I want to hear. I guess I just want someone to say they understand what I’m saying and feeling. I don’t have anyone in my family or friends that are even overweight. I feel like no one can relate. Has anyone else been through this? Did things get better as you lost weight?

yes. I had my first glass at least two years out of surgery - and I have a glass maybe three or four times a year. I can feel it pretty strongly after just one glass. Alcoholism runs in my family, so I've always been very careful with alcohol - but now I'm even more so since I know that's a risk of WLS.

I am not restricted with any food, but we set a few goals each month, such as getting off caffeine ( hard to do), giving up alcohol ( easy to do), increase water to 60 oz ( I started at 30 and at 50 oz now), start exercising and maintain it, try out different protein shakes, add fruit and veggie into my diet consistently, add multi vit and the calcium citrate pills to lunch and dinner. And to not drink for 30minutes before and 30 minutes after each meal. This is very hard to do, but I'm trying.

I am now 10 days into the full 3mg dose. The side effects, if any, have been minimal for me. I have had some general sour stomach, other than that, not much negative from it. My appetite has decreased substantially, but my late night cravings for a sweet snack have not left completely. With the medicine, I've also started the intermittent fasting, not eating anything until 10AM. Once I eat my lunch, I am ready to eat dinner at 6PM and typically the late night cookie or jello cup goes down. Overall I feel good having dropped 26 lbs in 6 weeks, but most of the loss came in the first 4 weeks with the new medicine and reduction in alcohol. I'm still having a glass of wine or two, but not the daily 2-4 drinks prior to the new year. Overall, I like the appetite suppressant....yet it's the lifestyle change that has me wanting more.