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Here are a couple of items of note: 1. In 1990, Blum found a correlation between alcoholism and a genetic deficiency in dopamine-binding receptors in the brain, called D2 receptors. People with compromised D2 receptors seek higher thrills to satisfy their reward cravings than people with normal D2 receptors, Blum believes. He predicts that gastric bypass patients with a D2 deficiency turn to other high-reward activities, such as drinking alcohol, because they can’t binge eat with a constricted stomach. 2. There’s little evidence of higher alcoholism rates after a different common bariatric surgery: gastric banding. Also known as lap banding, this surgery installs an inflatable belt around the stomach to constrict it. Unlike gastric bypass, banding does not permanently alter the stomach’s architecture. The difference between the two surgeries suggests that alcohol abuse is related to structural changes from gastric bypass, said Alexis Conason, a New York City psychologist and researcher. In 2012, Conason published a study in JAMA Surgery that found a significant increase in alcohol use for patients after gastric bypass, but not gastric banding. The study also found no significant increase in patients’ use of other drugs, including cigarettes, or compulsive behaviors such as gambling. “If it were addiction transfer, we’d be seeing it across the board,” Conason said. Researchers have proposed a few physiological explanations for increased alcoholism specifically after gastric bypass. Some believe it’s due to changes in alcohol metabolism, since alcohol enters the bloodstream more quickly in a smaller stomach. A 2011 study from surgeons at Stanford University found that six months after surgery, gastric bypass patients reached higher blood alcohol levels more quickly than they did before surgery. This type of fast and high peak often characterizes addictive drugs, said North Dakota’s Mitchell. Cocaine and heroin, for example, both produce brief, intense rushes that leave users wanting more. But it’s also possible that increased alcohol dependence has nothing to do with alcohol absorption in the stomach. Recently, a team of researchers led by neuroscientists at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine found that rats that had been given gastric bypasses developed a higher dependence on alcohol. Here’s the twist: the effect held even when the rats were given alcohol intravenously instead of orally. The authors concluded that alcohol abuse after gastric bypass could very well occur independently of how quickly alcohol passes from the gut to the bloodstream. Instead, anatomical changes to the stomach might impact patients’ dopamine response, the Penn State researchers suggested. Some scientists have found that gastric bypass surgery can alter the signaling of D2 receptors. The mechanism for this is unclear, although preliminary research has identified altered patterns of gene expression in areas of the brain that process dopamine. Other researchers suggest that appetite-mediating gut hormones play a role, particularly those that affect dopamine signaling, such as insulin, leptin and grehlin. Scientists have shown that leptin and grehlin levels change after gastric bypass surgery, and both hormones are known to modulate alcohol consumption. http://scienceline.org/2015/01/alcoholism-after-gastric-bypass-is-it-in-your-mind-or-gut/

So when did everyone have their 1st drink? Be honest ppl

So for all of you with this "Alcohol causes leaks and liver damage, and ulcers, Just got back from the dr.s for my 2 week check up . I asked him about every single concern and risks that people were saying. He said it is no different than how alcohol affects a regular liver. And started laughing when i was concerned that it would cause a leak!!! I dont know where these people get this info from. I have googled this topic, researched and came up with exactly what my doc told me. High calorie intake, and more affects of the alcohol due to ur low tolerance. My doc is one of the top leading surgeons in the Orange County area and i take his advice over anyones in this forum. Sorry to burst your bubbles. he gave clearance of 3 weeks !! So all that crap talk about leaks and things is NONSENSE from alcohol!!!!!!!! THANK YOU DOC!!!!!

JP do you think the the FDA would allow alcohol to be legal if it was to strip off paint it is a different alcohol it is just like DON'T swallow gum cause it will stick you stomach together it is wives tale

I would be WAY too scared to drink THAT soon... Cant it cause a leak? I would imagine it could since some alcohols can strip paint.. What would that do to a healing stomach? Its your body, but I would just be careful. Complications of any sort are no fun. Not worth having a drink to me.

I was advised not to drink alcohol for at least eight weeks, and I followed that direction. Now, at well over three years out, I do enjoy my White Russians without any issues or guilt. Sent from my iPad using VST

I gave up alcohol entirely because of the empty calories.

And another thing the medicine .. Loritab liquid that they sent me home with contains 17 percent alcohol !!! So is there any proven fact that alcohol affect the sleeve ??? Need answers not just negative comments

I know someone who uses Vodka to strip paint off some of their crafty things they do... Hmmm? IDK. Doesnt really matter to me, I was just sayin'. Probably not a smart thing to drink alcohol 2 weeks after surgery, but like I said before. Its her body! She can do as she pleases!

I smell a muddy troll... No doctor in their right mind would sleeve someone with only 20# to lose, and at two weeks out your sleeve can barely tolerate water and protein shakes, let alone alcohol. If this is what you do for entertainment is start drama on a site intended to support those who need it I feel sorry for you.

Hello All! I'm Carol, and I'll be sleeved at the OCC on Friday, April 4th. So I'll be coming in Thursday and leaving the next Monday, April 7th. Just took the obligatory before photo, though most of my photos lately have been before photos. I wish Flickr had instead of a delete option, a "tear up, burn and bury the ashes" option, because that's how I feel about my reflection right now. I've been doing the research I believe we've all been doing. I decided on the sleeve but was denied by the psychologist who works for my insurer. She said, in a somewhat condescending, whispery talking-to-a-child voice, that my history of depression and past use of alcohol make me a bad candidate for the procedure. I take Effexor for my depression/anxiety, and it works well for my anxiety and for the bulk of my depression, but I don't think it will ever go away completely. And I have had bouts of excessive drinking, but for the most part I've had that under control for years now. I know exactly why it would be a bad idea to drink with the sleeve, and I know I wouldn't put myself in that position-but how would I prove that to her? To her I'm a statistic, she says I have a higher chance of "suicidality", which apparently is a word, because my brother died that way. When in reality, I would never commit suicide, because I know exactly what it does to a family, and how it's a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I appreciate life all the more for having been close to someone who gave theirs away. I understand that statistically that's not the case. But I'm not a statistic, I'm a person; a nice person with quirks but also a logical mind, a person who has learned from her flawed but nonetheless valid journey of self-discovery. I've gone from being a young single mother with a high school diploma all the way through graduate school to where I can now support my little family. I shook my demons off one by one, but I can't shake off this weight. I've tried and sometimes succeeded for a time, but it always comes back, plus 20% more. Now my back and feet hurt, even my fat clothes aren't fitting right, and I'm having trouble appreciating all the things I've worked so hard to achieve. I won't let Kaiser tell me what I can't do. I will take their reasoning into consideration however, that if I drink with the sleeve, the alcohol will be absorbed faster because of my smaller stomach, increasing my blood/alcohol levels and putting additional stress on my kidneys, pancreas and liver. I know that people have destroyed their health by drinking too much after WLS, and I don't want that for myself. I don't think I'm ever going to fit into their mold though. I can't change my family history, so I'm going down to Mexico. Who else is coming?

Only during the healing, and initial losing stage were certain foods and drinks prohibited. I had a 3 month wait on raw veggies, fruits, and nuts. Alcohol was also a 3 month wait, but my surgeon preferred that we wait until goal to start indulging in alcoholic beverages due to the empty calories. As for after hitting goal, I have zero food or drink restrictions. I have drank soda, which some surgeons say they are forever off the list of drinks, since being around 6 months out. I really do eat and drink anything I want or need. I live a life of moderation at this point, and have since being at goal. It's just works for me.

Just as some people like the taste of coffee, juice, milk etc., others don't while some like and enjoy the taste alcohol. We don't all enjoy the same tastes! Before surgery, I'd enjoy an occasional glass of wine. To be honest I'm afraid of my bodies reaction to it now, so I haven't enjoyed a glass yet....yet. The smell and taste of a nicely grown and blended wine is devine, each having nose notes - sweet, flowers, rain, fruits, oak...that come through in taste can be amazing if you take the time to enjoy it. Yet, I detest gin, finding it reminiscent of rubbing alcohol... some love gin..some ppl love the flavor of cucumber bleh..it makes me shudder! Although, I never worry about becoming addicted to alcohol, even with a family history. I believe either you have the predisposition for additions or you don't. I'm to much of a control freak and to me alcohol takes that away. I suppose you could say my "addiction" is maintaining control as best I can! We are all different, thankfully.

This is more of what I was looking for when I posted my question. I was, in no way, judging anyone for what they do and don't like. Personally, I couldn't get past the taste or smell of alcohol enough to get to the point where I liked it enough to do it everyday, or even every once in a while. What I was more curious about was if it was that way for others of if they liked it right from the beginning. I know some people in my everyday life that hate the taste but drink it for the effects it gives, and that's more important to them than how it actually tastes. I know some who actually like the taste. And some who don't care either way but drink it in social settings more to fit in than anything else. So I was wondering how those on here that refuse to give it up (or even those that have no real opinion on it but still drink just because) got there. Do they have an addiction to it? Do they just enjoy the taste? Do they not care either way? I always wonder the same thing about cigarettes. I hate the taste and smell, the idea that if I smoke, others could breathe in the 2nd hand smoke and it could hurt them, how it makes clothes/skin/cars/furniture/breath smell, etc... My mom smoked like a chimney and I never understood it. I'm not judging anyone who smokes, either. I literally just don't understand it. I have an addiction to food, and I don't know why I turned something that I had a normal relationship with into an addiction that was slowly killing me. I don't know why it took having a major surgery to help me get back in control and on track. But I know food tastes good. Food smells good. There are exceptions, of course, but it's easy to find the good stuff. Since I've never thought of drugs, alcohol, or smoking as the good stuff, I'm always curious how anyone gets started on it to begin with. I know I can't go back to eating the way I did, or refusing to change the way I did things, or else I'll be right back to where I started. But why it took a surgery to get me here? I honestly don't know. I've been on here long enough that people should know I don't have ill intentions when I ask a question. I have a genuine curiosity, and the only way people learn, is to ask.

During the weight loss phase, drinking any alcohol will slow it down. There are conflicting schools of thought on this, but I found it to be true for me. Our bodies do not recognize alcohol as any type of food source, and given that, can only store it as fat. The other issue is the food cravings alcohol brings on, and the tendency to eat more when alcohol is involved. Now that I've said ALL of that, I'm going to a BBQ on Memorial Day weekend, and plan to drink. I haven't had wine or anything else in three months, and I'm looking forward to that first (and maybe 2nd) glass of wine. I'm guessing it will slow down my loss for that week, but I'm willing to suffer the consequences. I miss wine too, even though I don't drink it every night. More like once a week, but then I can drink a good 1/2 to 2/3 bottle. I love it, and getting a little loopy is totally fine with me

i only told my family and one trusted co-worker because i needed some cooperation with work schedule changes to accommodate the surgery date. My co-workers noticed and a lot of people asked about what I am doing. I told them "major lifestyle and diet changes." If they press, I tell them, "A lot more exercise, no wheat, no sugar, no alcohol, no snacks, no soda or coffee, no processed foods, no artificial sweeteners/coloring, low carb, intermittant fasting..." Somewhere between the sugar and alcohol their eyes glaze over and they change the topic. I don't want to lie, but the truth of the matter is that if someone is not willing to make lifestyle and dietary changes now, they have no right to any additional information. If someone actually told me they have been doing all those things and still struggle with weight loss, i would ask if they had considered WLS as another tool. But so far, no one seems willing to actually make serious changes. Everyone wants a magic pill. Since then, I have changed departments, and NO ONE says anything because they didn't see me before. I FEEL LIKE A NORMAL PERSON! And it feels great! I'm not the biggest gal at work anymore, and it is kind of weird, actually.

Hi everyone. I have been following this forum since 2018 when I got sleeved but never had the courage to make an account and post. Well, I got the courage today because I feel like my life is spinning out of control. I will try and keep this as short as possible for brevity but I really need some support and encouragement. I am a male, early 40's who got VSG in 2018. I lost approximately 125 lbs. I was happy, my life changed. I was motivated, more social and felt like I was on top of the world. I got down to 170-175 and felt great. Then, the pandemic hit. Before it hit, my family left my state and moved. Then my father passed during the pandemic and I ended up moving out of state and trying to start my life over. My remaining family lives about 3 hours from me. I never really had a problem with alcohol until the pandemic and the loss of my dad. I put on about 40 lbs in a year between drinking and eating horribly. I don't think I stretched my sleeve because I can feel restrictions, but the carbs from beer are what's doing it. I just joined a gym, and I stopped drinking a few days ago. I also have an appointment with a therapist. People say that it's hardest to lose weight after initial weight gain from VSG. I don't really know anyone in my state or town where I moved, so I need to keep myself accountable. I got the courage to sign up. I also am going to do high protein low carb and see if I have results. I am about 215 right now and I dread seeing people, I am even avoiding seeing my family because of the weight gain.

I hear you girl !!! Every celebration there is always alcohol involved with my friends and family . This weekend my friend is having a house warming BBQ tomorrow evening of course with alcohol and next weekend my family and I are going out of town cause my little sister is graduating from college so I'm sure we will celebrate after with dinner and drinks . So I'm thinking to just have one drink at each event surely it won't be too bad. :-/ I went to church this past Sunday and went to communion and without thinking about it I accidentally took a pretty good sized drink of the wine it went down smooth but I did get a lil buzz a minute there in church but it didn't last too long haha !!!

Not drinking isn't hard for me, it's the drinking enough that's my problem. All over the boards it says to keep your water intake up to wash away the toxins from the weight loss. Water is just not my thing, but I'm working on it. When it comes to "drinking" I'm going to miss my occasional glass of wine. I hear alcohol is a no-no the first six months. Liquid calories and all. Keep up those walks!!

Natrol makes a strawberry chewable/dissolving Biotin. I'm like a 5 year old when it comes to Vitamins and pills. I want fruit flavors and dinosaur shapes if at all possible, lol. I go out to eat all the time. It's not a problem. I have a stomach the size of toddler. Does that stop toddlers from going out to eat? Nooooooo. They are everywhere you look. Are they all worked up because they can't eat a mountain of food? Nooooooo. None of them are feeling deprived. They're happy. You will be too. I get 3 full meals from an entree, a little less if I share with my pets when I get home. No one gives a damn if you clean your plate or not. It's all about the fun, going to a nice place and having good food. You can make good food choices from any menu. I very rarely drank before surgery and I found my alcohol tolerance has lessened, but every once in a while I will order a drink before dinner and have a few sips because I want to. Four or five sips of wine or a Cosmo while waiting for the food doesn't affect the food volume for me. I don't make an issue over what or how much or what I am eating and no one really notices. Of course my weight loss is really noticeable, but I have been talking about things like "the gym" and "watching what I eat" in general so the comments I do get are encouraging and playful in nature.

Hi all, just back from a week long cruise. Left for the trip at day 26 post op and was pretty nervous about eating, flying, etc. Came back and gained .5 lbs but had a great time. I didn't expect to lose any weight on this trip and was pretty happy that I didn't have a big weight gain. I searched and searched for some advice about taking a cruise so soon after surgery and didn't find much so thought I'd share my experience for others about my trip on Carnival Cruse Lines. This is definitely not advice and don't recommend anyone does this but what I found: Buffet: Limited Breakfast selections that worked for me. Scrambled eggs, some luncheon meats, scoop of tuna from the deli, maybe a sausage link (only had them one day), milk. The yogurt they had was only 3 grams of Protein and loaded with sugar so avoided that. I did order a Guy's Hamburger and had a couple of bites of the burger with a fork and not too bad. There was some other stuff that looked edible for dinner but never ended up eating dinner at the buffet. Dining Room: There was usually a Soup every night but found most of the chilled Soups seemed to me to be very high in sugar so I avoided them unless there was no other option. Entries were limited to eat because of being carb/pata heavy or tougher meats. They always had flat Iron steak which was tender and I was able to eat so got that a few nights and most other nights got chicken or something like that. Got a tofu steak one night and it was bogus . Had to cover it with hot sauce to make it edible. Sorry tofu lovers... Only one night did they have a no sugar added desert that was something I was able to eat and it was a key lime mousse. Most the other nights, the no sugar added desert was cake or bread based. I usually couldn't fit desert anyway so didn't deal with it too much. Islands, Beaches: Most serve typical beach stuff. Burgers, fried foods, etc but there was usually something that you could order if you wanted. I'd usually get something simple like a club sandwich and just eat the meats. Had a fry here and there also. Alcohol: Talked my doc prior to cruising and although he did recommend being very careful with alcohol, he said it wouldn't damage my sleeve or anything like that. This is definitely not medical advice and just sharing my experience. So a couple of the days, on the beach and here and there, I had a pina colada's or daiquiri's and maybe a beer here and there. The first couple of beers I had, I would put my finger in the top and shake them a few times to let out the carbonation and to be honest, flat beer, even when cold wasn't that great. On our last beach day, someone bought me a Heineken and I didn't shake it up but drank it right from the bottle, carbonation and all and it went down okay, no pain or anything but waited a little bit before eating or drinking everything else. The buzz if definitely different.. About mid week, I went wild and had two Frozen banana daiquiris (with a dark rum floater) in about a half hour time span and got a good buzz but the buzz was gone within an hour at most. I really enjoyed the cruise but found that having some soft-ish Protein Bars were definitely beneficial for those times that I didn't want eat breakfast at the buffet or beach food. I enjoyed the cruise tremendously and found there was always something to eat but you definitely had to plan a bit due to buffet hours/selection and choices in the dining room. Keep in mind, I was just starting soft foods so had some limitations. With all that said, I'd do it again in a second.. m

My surgery is 3-22 and need advise on this.... Fast food what is best eat and alcoholic drinks how many? Thanks

Im not out to start a fight on here...just something I am somewhat passionate about. What the FDA passes off as safe is down right scary...Just because a product has natural on it or says real fruit..doesnt matter...it is the process in which it is made...read this if you care to- may explain it so you can understan it better....also the stevia so to speak at walmart is not the same stevia you buy at a health food store...health food stores only have the "real" stuff....just sayin Is Nectresse Truly A Natural Sweetener? » The makers of the artificial sweetener, Splenda, recently released a new sweetener, Nectresse, which is being marketed as a natural, zero calorie, healthy alternative to artificial sweeteners and sugar. Is it really natural or is it just tricky marketing to target health-minded consumers? We’ve done some research to help you make an educated decision. The Nectresse website claims that the product is 100% natural and made from monk fruit. Monk fruit is an Asian melon that releases its sweetness when heated and is 150 times sweeter than sugar. The process to create Nectresse is described on their website as the following: The monk fruit is picked fresh from the vine. The fruit is then crushed to access the sweet extract. The crushed fruit is then soaked in hot Water to release its sweetness. The monk fruit-infused water is filtered and dried to create monk fruit extract. The extract is then blended with other natural sweeteners to create NECTRESSE™ Sweetener. It sounded good up until #5. They do not disclose what other natural sweeteners are used. We learn from this that there are other natural sweeteners AND other ingredients. So what are they? The first ingredient, which is always the most abundant, is erythritol. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol frequently derived from corn, which we know to be one of the largest genetically modified crops in the United States. There is no claim as to whether or not GM corn is used, but we will note that typically if it is NOT genetically modified, they make it known. The second ingredient in Nectressed is sugar, another ingredient that is typically derived from a genetically modified crop (sugar beets) and is also refined. Monk fruit is listed as the third ingredient, which we discussed its role earlier. And the last ingredient in Nectresse is molasses, which is a sugar and typically a derivative of genetically modified sugar beets. Besides monk fruit, the other three ingredients look to be derived from genetically modified crops and two of the ingredients are refined sugars. The company can legally claim under the FDA guidelines that Nectresse is zero calories per serving because erythritol is the most abundant ingredient used and is a sugar alcohol. Clearly, Nectresse is far from being a natural product due to the extremely high possibility that its ingredients are derived from bioengineered crops and sources. Monk fruit is very much a natural product, but paired with 3 other GM bi-products, Nectresse can hardly be thought of as natural. Monk fruit can be up to 200 times sweeter than sugar because it contains natural antioxidants that have a very strong, sweet taste. The antioxidants in monk fruit, known as mogrosides, contain zero calories. Therefore, monk fruit is a healthy alternative to artificial zero calorie sweeteners. However, Nectresse is an impure version of monk fruit that is just one more example of the food industry’s ability to tap into the health-minded community of consumers. Don’t be fooled by this sly marketing attempt! I recommend Stevia or Xylitol if you are searching for a zero calorie sweetener. You can find these sweeteners in the Vitamin or baking aisles of your local health food store. Both products can be purchased in individual packets or canisters. - See more at: http://360yourlife.com/featured/is-nectresse-truly-a-natural-sweetener/#sthash.JMjB7k5y.dpuf

I get this whenever I eat Low Carb. I was fine when on fluids, but Thursday went to pureed foods and immediately started getting. I used to take a potassium pill and a calcium/magnesium pill when doing Atkins, but that's obviously out for now. The rubbing alcohol sounds like a good idea. I too am not getting charley horses but feel things starting to cramp up when I'm sleeping.

today was my first day home & i really wish i wouldve stayed in the hospital. i just finished throwing up and its so disgusting & burns so bad!!!! im actually mad that i pushed to go home so bad! i shouldve stayed. this morning i found out my prescription portion of my insurance was not active so i couldnt get my meds until just a few mins ago. when i say nightmare, im talking about nightmare!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the acid is like triple & burns so bad that it feels like someone is pouring alcohol on an open cut. i dont wish this on my worst enemy. i just really wish i could go back to normal. this is just crazy!!!! :'(