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I think you would have to had a prior problem with alcohol or on your way there before surgery. I have drank some in my life but I am not wanting to transfer my food addiction to alcohol. I have transferred it to cooking new high protein healthier dishes for me and my family. I am having a blast looking up recipes tweaking them and cooking for my family. I also am excited about working out where that was never a thing I was excited about before. I think it is a conscious choice where to transfer your unspent energy from not being able to eat like you could before.

I think most addicts will trade one addiction for another. I have two (well three) examples. The first, a friend of mine moved to San Diego and got addicted to snorting Crystal Meth. When she came back to the east coast, she wasn't able to access it as easily as she did when she lived out west (it was so bad she was fedexing money to her dealer and of course no drugs would come back) so she started drinking a lot. It was so bad, her husband almost put her into rehab for alcoholism. Another friend of mine was addicted to cocaine, had to give it up because it was costing her her life and her family (her daughter was taken away from her by her ex-husband) she cleaned up her act and then got addicted to smoking angel dust, which she is still doing to this day. I think if someone has an innate addictive personality you do end up "switching" for me (the third example) the itch will always be there to eat crappy food, but I feel like my new addiction now is buying clothes. I'm an online shopping fool! It's such a great rush, but after you feel bad. The other day i went to Victoria's Secret was fitted for bras and bought about $500 worth, the minute I left the mall I thought to myself "wtf I'm just going to have to get new ones in six months!" but then the other side of me goes "hey it's $500 you can't take that money with you when you're dead"

While some addicts trade one addiction for another, it is not true in all cases. It is likely that people who have had WLS are more sensitive to the effects of alcohol. I used to abuse alcohol as well as food prior to gastric band. Now I have had to reduce my alcohol intake as well as food and I'm managing fine with laying off the drinks. I still do want a glass of wine now and then, but I don't drink a bottle of wine every night - thank God!

Carnie Wilson said she was drinking up to 10 mimosas a day. That's what she told Oprah. And then they were showing all the videos from bloggers talking about becoming alcoholics.

It's mostly an RnY thing, in terms of physical differences that cause alcohol to hit your system faster and be processed differently, which wouldn't happen with VSG. That said, transfer addictions (ie, psychological addictions transferring from food to shopping, drinking, etc.) are still a risk of course.

Did anyone else watch nightline last night, 6-18-12? It was "Weigh Less, Drink More?" about transferring your food addiction to alcohol. They talk about Carnie Wilson & Beth Sheldon-Badore, AKA: Melting Mama of Bariatric Bad Girls Club. I'm only 1 month out, so I haven't had alcohol yet. Does it really affect you quicker & sober up quickly? What do y'all think about this phenomenon? Have you experienced it? I've never had a problem with alcohol, so it makes me nervous to drink anything.

Hi Steven, and welcome to VST. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I wish people understood more just how difficult it is to lose weight. Smokers can quit smoking, alcoholics can quit drinking, but we cannot quit eating. We have to eat to live, so in my opinion, we have one of the most difficult of addictions to conquer. I wish you much success with your surgery and look forward to following your progress.

Hello everyone my name is Steven and I am 52 originally from NY and now living here in Northern Virginia since 2001. My weight-loss journey is similar to many of yours as well. In my youth I was "Stocky" and I have progressed to obese by definition though I hide much of my weight and people never guess I am over 200 pounds. Like most here I have tried with limited success every type of diet and fad, skipped over a few like the growth hormone and starvation diet. Slim Fast for sure, Weight Watchers, Nutri System (several times) and always stayed with it for a short while, once I lost 26 pounds and kept it off about a year and a half. In the past 11 years I have gained just shy of fifty pounds and have every co-morbidity you can have although I am only pre-diabetic but just a matter of time before I have that too. In 2008 I went for a consultation with a bariatric surgeon to discuss the latest in techniques which at the time was the band. I didn't commit since I would had to jump through many hoops to get the band. Back then I didn't hear too much bad about the band. Now I hear plenty which leads me to the LGS procedure. I went for a consult with Dr. Denis Halmi of the Bluepoint surgical group here in Northern VA where I reside. We discussed the sleeve and the changes to my insurance which now has very few restrictions and hoops to jump through. No longer need a medically supervised diet for six months. Just some nutrition counseling, tests to ensure your healthy enough for the surgery and a psych eval to make sure you know what you are getting into. My surgery group required 2 weeks of opti-fast pre-surgery which I understand is to shrink the liver but that is usually for folks with BMI greater than 40 and I am 37. My surgery date was June 12, 2012 or more commonly known as my re-birth! I really felt like somewhat of a failure for not being able to manage my weight non-surgically but at the same time I feel like who am I kidding? I obviously can't/wont do it myself and I am slowly dying albeit not that slowly. I come from a long line of fat people with all the diseases of obesity minus heart trouble. I NEEDED THIS PROCEDURE! Every time someone tries to tell me I don't need that surgery, I can do this on my own, I politely ask them, if you were chemically dependent or an alcoholic (Which many of the people I know are either alcoholic or just about to become one) and you were given an opportunity to have a relatively simple procedure to cure you of your illness, would you do it? The answer is invariably, yes. I say that I am addicted to food and I needed this to save my life. Shuts em up every time! If you want to read a real easy to read and understand book about the gastric sleeve before, during and after surgery, I highly recommend the book "Successful Weight Loss with the Gastric Sleeve" It is written by Guillermo Alvarez the Doctor from Mexico. Great information. Thanks for reading about me! Steven

I love the Oh Yeah, and I absolutely love Power Crunch. Both are the lowest carb I have found and taste really good. I can't have sugar alcohol because it gives me extreme gas and those have no sugar alcohol. Most of the ones that taste good have a lot of sugar alcohol.

Or they tell you about people who die. Now, Nightline just ran a segment on WLS makes people more likely to be alcoholic. When my friend started in on me today, I just told her to go ahead and let her do it, knowing this is going to happen. I reminded her that I need to do this to regain my health. She then went on to talk about her struggles with weight, being on a fast and being short of breath when walking. Great. It just seems to be part of the territory.

I do, but it's not because I'm replacing a food addiction with an alcohol addiction (food addiction is definitely still there!). It's because of a few reasons - now I live alone & a couple of nights a week I like to have some wine; sometimes if I've been having a stuck day I find it helps ease my band a bit. Those are the main ones. I do think I feel the effects a bit sooner than before, but probably only because I've probably been stuck most of the day so haven't eaten much & want to be able to eat at dinner (granted, it can lead to over-eating sadly).

the article specifically talks about how it is not just changing of addictions (although my therapist has mentioned this to me before as a word of caution towards my drinking and other "addictive" habits). It says that it is due to alcohol processing in bypass patients that isn't the same in lapbanders since we still have our whole stomach. however as banders, our decreased food intake does allow alcohol to be more potent in the blood stream and thus have more effects on us than pre-surgery. i would suggest trying medatation when you feel like drinking alone. i know it sounds corny but sometimes you just need to have some reflecitve time to clear your head instead of using alcohol to do it. there are lots of guided tapes and i bet you could find something on youtube to help you medatate. i usually meditate about exercise. i know it is dumb but actually it has been said it helps you release endorphins. maybe those endorphins will be the "bump" you need to get past the alcohol craving. even if you can just stop yourself from drinking a couple times a week you are on a better track. i have lots of trouble with using alcohol and food as a crutch. if you find something else that works please share!!

Not just alcoholism, but drugs and other addictions as well. The reason is people are simply trading addictions. They can no longer feed their food addiction so they turn to booze or drugs instead.

Saw this on Yahoo and I have to say, it's true for me. I can drink WAAAYYY more than before my surgery and I tend to find myself drinking daily, instead of socially. Need to change that asap, which I will. "Weight-Loss Surgery Increases Risk of Alcohol Addiction" Andrew Kahn was only a social drinker before his weight-loss surgery. He never imagined he would develop problems with alcohol because he had bariatric surgery. But he did. The 61-year-old from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who had his gastric bypass surgery in 2003, eventually developed alcoholism and was treated at a rehabilitation facility for his addiction. "I never had any guidance or education about that," said Kahn. "If I was given the choice between being obese and becoming an alcoholic, I would have thought about [my decision] more." The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric surgery estimates that approximately 72 million people are obese in the United States and 200,000 people have bariatric surgery each year. Kahn's alcohol addiction may not be a unique result of gastric bypass surgery. New research suggests that having Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, where the size of the stomach is reduced and the intestine is shortened, thus limiting how much a person can eat, can increase the risk of alcohol-use disorders. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, adds to mounting evidence of a link between have the popular gastric bypass surgery and the symptoms of alcohol-use disorders. Before the surgery, the nearly 2000 study participants completed a survey developed by the World Health Organization that is used to identify symptoms of alcohol abuse. The patients then completed the survey one and two years after their weight-loss surgery. The study found 7 percent of patients who had gastric bypass reported symptoms of alcohol use disorders prior to surgery. The second year after surgery, 10.7 percent of patients were reporting symptoms. The findings were published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "There have been previous studies that show there is a change in alcohol sensitivity in gastric bypass," Wendy King, a research assistant professor in the department of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and the study's lead author. King's study is the first to show that with this increased sensitivity there is also an increased risk of alcohol use disorders (AUD), the term used to describe alcohol abuse and dependence. Dr. Mitchell Roslin, a bariatric surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said the link between gastric bypass surgery and increased alcohol use has been attributed before to the shifting addiction theory and that this is false. The shifting addiction theory is that if a person has an impulsive drive to eat and the ability to eat large amounts of food is taken away, then he will shift his addiction to another addictive substance, like drugs or alcohol. "A gastric bypass patient has a small pouch [for a stomach] so alcohol goes straight into the intestine and is absorbed rapidly," said Roslin. "When it is absorbed rapidly, there is a high peak and rapid fall." The higher absorption rate makes alcohol more addictive, he added. Indeed, before his surgery, Kahn would have two drinks, then feel sleepy and go to bed. After the surgery, he said he felt the alcohol would go through his system faster, which allowed him to drink more. "It wears off so quickly so you can keep going and going," said Kahn. Gastric bypass is the most commonly performed bariatric surgery in the United States and represents 70 percent of all surgeries performed during the study. Laparoscopic gastric banding, where an adjustable band in placed around a patient's stomach and limits how much food the stomach can hold, did not have an associated risk with increases in alcohol problems. King said this is to be expected as gastric banding does not change the anatomy and thus the metabolism of alcohol like gastric bypass does. The study also found that the increase in alcohol-use disorders was not seen until the second post-operative year as opposed to the first year after surgery. "This emphasizes that continuing education about alcohol use is needed until the second year after surgery. With follow up [patients] need to hear about consumption and what is appropriate," said King. Dr. Leslie Heinberg, the Director of Behavioral Services for the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute of the Cleveland Clinic, thinks these increases are causes for caution more so than concern. Patients should be educated before their surgery about the changes that will occur in how they will absorb and metabolize alcohol. "Given that the increased rates of alcohol use disorders post-operatively are equivalent to what is seen in the general population, it shouldn't be a reason to avoid a life-saving procedure," said Heinberg. "Rather, it points to the importance of education, informed consent and continued monitoring." King said her study highlights one of the risks of the surgery but it is important for patients to take in context all of benefits and risks and work with doctors to determine what is the best option for them. "Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment we have for obesity. It would be shame if people walked away thinking gastric bypass was a bad procedure based on this [study]," said King. Andrew Kahn said that he did not have the opportunity to know that alcohol addiction may occur after his surgery and he wants other patients to be informed about these risks. He initially lost over 70 pounds after his surgery, but in the six months he was heavily drinking, he gained 35 of those pounds back and became depressed. He eventually attended a detoxification program and has been sober since 2010. Kahn said he would not have had an alcohol problem if he did not have gastric bypass. Still, he wouldn't have traded in the surgery if given a second chance. "Gastric bypass saved my life," he said. http://news.yahoo.com/weight-loss-surgery-increases-risk-alcohol-addiction-003820087--abc-news-health.html

Before I jump into this rant, I want to let everyone know that many years ago I worked as a waitress. I know that it is some of the hardest work I've ever done, physically. The incentive is to "sell up" by selling alcoholic drinks, sides, pushing Desserts. They are making a living, and I respect that very much. That being said, can we talk about the art of listening to your customer? Unfortunately, I come from family and friends who love getting together and eating out. And I should note most of them are at very healthy, ideal weights so I'm usually the "biggest" in the group. But whether they are extremely athletic or just have amazing genes, they can order the fried app, burger with fries and a few beers. I don't mind, the food is not the problem. I'm still in that great place where I'm rarely hungry and don't have cravings. Sometimes just seeing fried foods or the smell of greasy stuff can turn my stomach now. Call me lucky? But what happens is that for some reason I'm the one the waitstaff likes to focus on. I'm the one that they ask, "Just the side salad with chicken? Are you sure that's all you want?" Or when I order the grilled shrimp appetizer, and ask them to hold the butter during cooking (please use olive oil) -- and they show up with the full entree with rice or mashed potato side. When I ask WTH, I get, "I'm sorry I thought that's what you wanted." When I'm thinking in my head, that I'm positive I said "appetizer" and even pointed to that section on the menu. Even when I order the side salad, I get the full meal portion. WTH? "I asked if it was going to be your meal and you said yes, so I figured you meant to order this one and not the side." They are all accommodating when I correct them, which I have to do in front of everyone, calling more attention to my new eating habits. They don't charge for the larger thing, take it back, etc. When they don't, I'm then trying to eat my 3-4oz of food, leaving what looks like an entire meal untouched on my plate, and I get the "Is everything OK with your meal?" question multiple times during the meal, again in front of everyone. I get it. People are human, they make mistakes. But I do not remember waitstaff getting my order wrong so often before surgery. Of course, I'm presuming they're thinking, "The fat girl will not be happy with that little food, I'll give her more." But that's a slippery slope to presume their motivations. I'm reaching a place where I don't look forward to these occasions, of eating out. It's not about the food, it's about how what/how little I'm eating is such a focus. I've used the "I don't feel well" or "I'm not that hungry" excuses, it gets me by, but it's getting old. Has this happened with anyone else?

Let's see, my surgery was June 13. I quit smoking, after 37 yrs, alcohol & coffee on June 1. No cravings noted for any of them.

Good job getting a head start. I'm an OR nurse and I'm only here to help you by telling you not to shave your abdomen. In the OR, we use clippers, not razors. The reason is that clippers don't cause trauma to the skin like razors. When you shave with a razor, it causes nicks, some you can see and some you can't. The nicks can cause entry points for bacteria thereby causing infection. Also, the clipper blades used in surgery are single use blades, so everything is surgically clean. If you want to get clipped at home, make sure your clipper blade is clean and free of any hair, and douse it with alcohol before use. Using the hibiclens to shower the night before, and the morning of surgery is ideal. Good Luck!!!!

Went through the same thing Nita. I go to a therapist weekly to help me with the emotional side of all of this so I don't repeat the same behaviors and eventually regain. She told me to compare it to being an alcoholic with your best friend and all of the sudden you decide to quit drinking. It's natural for her to go on the defensive. My friend and I share "fat" stories, embarrassing "fat" emergency snacks that we make up and all other sorts of info. So now she is scared that because I have had this surgery the dynamic of our relationship will change. And it probably will. I am still not getting the support that I would like from this person. It used to break my heart. But now that I understand her emotions and why she feels the way that she does, it doesn't hurt me as much anymore. And I am just proving to her by still going to the movies and out to eat...that we can still do the same things we did before. And she's actually slowly coming around. She is taking better care of herself. Eating better...going to the gym. So I hope that once she sees my success she will be inclined to follow in my footsteps. Cause let's face it...we can try to convince ourselves all day long that we are happy...but no one is happy at 250+ pounds!

Dear Pokieism, You ask so many good questions that I'm going to cut and past your questions and then give you very honest answers so I can keep it all straight. Sara - there was a question I wonder if you would answer - were you taking only what you are supposed to of the Alli? I did take more than the recommended doses. I took the dose doctor's prescribe when writing an Orlistat prescription, which is more than the over the counter recommended maximum. Overdoing is a lifetime pattern for me. All things to excess, nothing in moderation. Have you developed any eating disorders? I am addicted to Frozen pineapple on a stick from Dryers. I credit it with the 30 pound weight loss during the last 2 years. I make my main meal of the day lunch and then replace dinner with Dryer's Pineapple Pops. I stopped keeping ice cream in the house 2 years ago and go through 9 boxes of Pineapple pops a week--that is addictive behavior because many times a day I'm grabbing a Pineapple Pop give give my mouth something to do when the people around me are eating meals or when I'm feeling weak and might eat something with fat calories if I didn't keep the pineapple around. Dorrie had a wonderful answer for you. I would say a concern for you from me is def the cheating - because that will set you up to fail. Another serious issue. Crossover replacements for your foodstyle...they are known as addictions. Alcohol, smoking, weed, cutting, and replacement "feeling" (I forget that one - help me out Dorryie!). Yes, in the first 5 years of my band I did develop addictive behavior with wine coolers. The band was tight, and I would skip solid food and drink wine coolers after dinner. I was never a drinker before I got banded and one night I was watching an Oprah after work enjoying my dinner ---a 6-pack of Green Apple Smirnoff's Vodka Coolers. The topic of the show was people who got WLS who developed alcohol, sex, or gambling addictions once food was cut off to them as their go-to addiction. That was probably 2005 and even though I was at my goal weight I knew that Oprah Show was talking about me. I cut myself off from those friendly little bottles cold turkey. Now I may have one or two bottles once a month but that is all. Going to a counselor is OK - but what then - do you actively work on what you have talked about? Do you read on your own? If you were not taking a diet aid, could you maintain your loss? If I was not taking the Alli I could maintain my weight. I credit the Alli (and walking) for the 30 lbs I've lost in the last 2 years. I did go to a counselor for several intense years and I thought our work together was completed. I am going back to her. My nature is mostly that of a loafer, a lazy person who does the minimum required to get by in the world and I make no apologies for it. I know who I am, I like living a lazy life and I don't have kids so I'm not failing a duty to children to teach them by example to work hard. I will always look for the easy way out. But when I want something I will work. When I lost weight I jogged 5 miles per day 3-4 days per week. When I wasn't jogging I was on bike rides with friends in which 200 miles cycled in a day was not uncommon. I loved it, but then had a nasty bike crash while in a pace-line and that wrecked my right knee and ended my cycling career. The esophogeal stretch may be a way to get some of it covered by insurance, even if they will not approve the sleeve. My insurance is happy to pay for the band's removal, but with my behavioral patterns and a BMI of 32 I no longer qualify for WLS as a covered medical procedure. Replace the mochas with a coffee, or warm up and froth a glass of hoodia soy milk in chocolate or a spash of coffee. I go to Peet's Coffee and they make a non-fat, sugar-free mocha that doesn't taste sugar-free. I get a small and that's 250 calories. That is something I enjoy and wil continue to gie myself several times per week. I don't like soy milk, or black coffee, or tea. I have tried and they are not for me. Popscicles are good (Dryer's Frozen Pineapple Chunks on a stick) , Jello too! If you cant get away from alcohol, make a jello shooters, freeze them, and blend them in a blender with some crystal light you have poured into ice cubes. I stopped alcohol in my life because I knew it was becoming a problem in 2004/2005. Get onto My Fit Pal, get to know the site well, it will help you alot. Never heard of it. I'll look into it. Thanks! If you find yourself off the band, still go to therapy, and prepare yourself to do this old-style until your esophagus and tummy can heal - get the original "eat this, not that" book, and feel free to stick around the forum. There is alot discussed here, not all VGS related, and you can build up a healthy bit of knowledge. Notice I did not say yay or nay about whether you should get the sleeve...I cant make that decision. Whatever you go, I hope you work through everything and are well. You misunderstood me. Sorry my words were unclear. I wasn't asking anyone to make the "sleeve after band with esophageal stretching" decision for me. I know that only I and a willing surgeon can do that. I offered my medical history and was asking if anyone in this forum ever got the sleeve after having a band removed due to esophageal stretching, and did it have the desired outcome. I talk like I am telling you what to do - it is just my nature, I only intend them as suggestions... If you don't believe you can find a way out you become the problem. If you believe you can find a way out you have solved the problem. I know that ultimately it is up to me to change my love-relationship with the things I put in my mouth and learn to eat for nutrition rather than comfort. I'm working with a dietician now to do that. But I also want to take advantage of the latest medical procedures to build upon my efforts. My knees are shot and my spine is shot in two places so I live in constant pain and on Oxycontin 24/7. I need to keep working at getting the weight off this body sooner rather than later and this time I'm committed to doing it right with my therapist, my dietician and my personal trainer. But I do also want to know if anyone has a medical history similar to my medical history with the band AND has benefited from an additional, newer procedure. Thanks for your ideas and concerns. I really do appreciate them because you help me develop my own thoughts to a point of greater clarity and you help me see where blind spots in my thinking might cloud my judgement. Sincerely, Sara

Sara - there was a question I wonder if you would answer - were you taking only what you are supposed to of the Alli? Have you developed any eating disorders? Dorrie had a wonderful answer for you. I would say a concern for you from me is def the cheating - because that will set you up to fail. Another serious issue. Crossover replacements for your foodstyle...they are known as addictions. Alcohol, smoking, weed, cutting, and replacement "feeling" (I forget that one - help me out Dorryie!). Going to a counselor is OK - but what then - do you actively work on what you have talked about? Do you read on your own? If you were not taking a diet aid, could you maintain your loss? The esophogeal stretch may be a way to get some of it covered by insurance, even if they will not approve the sleeve. Replace the mochas with a coffee, or warm up and froth a glass of hoodia soy milk in chocolate or a spash of coffee. Popscicles are good, Jello too! If you cantr get away from alcohol, make a jello shooters, freeze them, and blend them in a blender with some crystal light you have poured into ice cubes. Get onto My Fit Pal, get to know the site well, it will help you alot. If you find yourself off the band, still go to therapy, and prepare yourself to do this old-style until your esophagus and tummy can heal - get the original "eat this, not that" book, and feel free to stick around the forum. There is alot discussed here, not all VGS related, and you can build up a healthy bit of knowledge. Notice I did not say yay or nay about whether you should get the sleeve...I cant make that decision. Whatever you go, I hope you work through everything and are well. I talk like I am telling you what to do - it is just my nature, I only intend them as suggestions...

I believe the theory behind the straw is the extra air it introduces. Many programs don't prohibit it. As far as a drink, I waited until around 6 months myself. For me, the big thing is the many empty calories plus alcohol dehydrates. It also inhibits healing (as does smoking) so don't do it at least for several months. It's best to ask your Dr or Nutritionist.

My take on the therapy aspect is this: We all have some issue with food or we wouldn't be obese. If we dont do the head work to handle the food issue(s), then we are in danger of not using this tool to it's fullest potential. I have seen a therapist for my food issues and I think it's probably the best thing I could have done for myself. The psychologist who did my psyche evaluation promised me that I would become an alcoholic after surgery because of the amount of addictive behavior/personalities in my family. I chose to become addicted to exercise instead. It is VERY common for WLS patients to develop crossover addictions to other substances/behaviors, so it's helpful to be aware of that and to have a therapist that one can talk to about that before it becomes a huge issue. I truly believe that WLS patients should be required to have at least a few sessions with a therapist post op in order to deal with the food issues that come up. Every time I read a post from someone who is freaking out and thinking "What have I done?", I'm reminded again that most of us need at least some guidance on this journey.

Every doctor is different. The general rule of thumb is no less then 3 months, to allow the stomach to heal properly. Beyond that, every doctor is different. Some say 6 months, some say a year, and some say never. There's a lot of reasons for this. Alcohol is absorbed differently after surgery - you get drunk faster on less alcohol. In fact, it's more than double the rate of someone without surgery. So, it can be dangerous to drink. Alcohol won't fill you up, and only provides empty calories. There's also a chance that you could transfer a food addiction to an alcohol addiction - very bad. Most doctors, however, will clear you in that 6-12 month window for no more than 2 standard bar size drinks per day, and aim for only drinking on special occasions.

Everybody's doctor tells them differently but my advice is to wait until you are totally off all painkillers and any other meds that you are not suppose to drink with. After that consume in moderation. Many people move the food addiction to an alcohol addition so you have to be careful. My NUT told me to go ahead when I asked at 4 weeks and I probably could have started earlier.

K so not to sound like I'm feigning for it but I know eventually we are allowed to partake in alcohol agian but when. Of corse I have no desire for it now but post op down the line when? Does anyone know?