Alcohol

[jeanettehuitt 5]

How long should did you wait before drinking?

[sarahzamudio1091 185]

Depending on the surgeon . Some say 3 month , 1 month, 1 year .... Never

[Claire99 12]

OMG you might not want to ask that question .Sarah got her Butt chewed out for asking . Lol good luck ladies ..

[ArtSong 291]

I don't drink at all before or after but my doc said 8weeks. My nut said 5 lol so ask both I would say not much help I know sorry but that's all I got

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[NurseGrace 509]

I was asked to refrain from alcohol for 18 months and so that is what I have done. Theoretically I think it takes a few months for your stomach to heal up completely, so I wouldnt touch it until maybe month 5 or 6

[pomeerin 44]

My nutritionist recommended a year. Both for healing purposes and also the avoidance of empty calories. She said that sleevers tend to get drunk on only a few sips of alcohol rather than a few drinks! Think of all the money we'll save later on down the road!

[clk 3,519]

I only had sips of wine (for Shabbat, we're Jewish) for several months post op. Beyond that, not only did I not want to drink, I had no room to do it! I'd wait at least a few months.

The only thing to be very careful about are transfer addictions. As we mourn the loss of our old emotional crutch and coping mechanism (food) it's not uncommon to see people develop other bad habits because they haven't learned to cope without yet. Alcoholism is a real problem for WLS patients.

And yes, drinks are empty calories, of course. And while some people can still drink the same way post op I think stories of getting tipsy on just a few sips are more common. I can sip on one mixed drink all night and keep a buzz going, so I'm much more sensitive to alcohol post op.

~Cheri

[donewithdieting 44]

I am going to be very-- very honest. If you have ANY problem with addictions ie: smoking,eating, biting nails anything I enplore you NOT to drink any alcohol after your WLS. Before I had my surgery I read and researched alot. This information about alcohol was brought up. I personally did not drink much (maybe a glass of wine a couple times a month) Never drank for 27 years. No desire/need to. Well fast forward to today, I drink wine every single day alot. Gained 10# since August. And now I want a cigarette ( I quit 16 years ago). The pull to addicition is so strong every single day it drives me crazy. Now to take a look at me and my life you would never think I would ever have a problem. I now doing research on alcoholism. ICK this is no fun that I changed addictions.

If anyone who reads this gets this please please please do not even start with alcohol. NEVER EVER thought it could happen to me. Good Luck

[jeanettehuitt 5]

I have friends that are less than six months out already drinking like they never had surgery. I am 3 days out of surgery. I won't have alcohol anytime soon. Just wondering what everybody thought. My nutritionalist said to refrain "as long as I could" lol.

[pomeerin 44]

That's a pretty sobering thought (pardon the pun). Addiction is no joke. :/

[SeriouslyChange 319]

I got really drunk 6 weeks out, I drank many double shots that night. To each their own, I'm not too big on drinking very often, but when I drink, I go all in.

[RickM 1,747]

The various issues are as follows -

Initial healing of the sleeve - a few weeks or months.

Empty calories - avoid throughout weight loss period.

Liver health - our livers are typically in bad shape to begin with from being obese (hence the "liver shrinking" pre-op diet that some surgeons impose,) and the liver is further taxed during rapid weight loss by its role in metabolizing all that fat that we are losing, so it doesn't need any more stress from alcohol (my doc is also a liver transplant specialist, so he's a bit anal on this point!) - no alcohol throughout the weight loss period.

Transfer addiction - many/most who are obese can be considered to be food addicted (as can many "normal" weight people,) so when the focus of the addiction (food) is removed it is very easy for that addiction to move to something else - alcohol, gambling, shopping, etc. - avoid alcohol forever.

These are the major issues regarding alcohol and the sleeve - different docs will emphasize some or all of these issues in their recommendations.

We are all adults here, so you can make your own decisions in following or exceeding your surgeon's guidelines.

[desertmom 297]

Donewithdieting,I hope,really really hope you can find a way to stop drinking,quickly.

I started smoking at 4 months out and this December on holiday,decided to "cut myself some slack" and have one drink every day with everyone else.Just one!

I have also been trying ro cut out the 5 cups of tea I was drinking every day!

Since being home I am struggling as I feel like a drink every day.The first week I had one every third night.Second week every second night and this week I had a drink 5 nights out of the week.

I have stopped losing weight even though I am eating little and I get up in the morning and all of a sudden Im thinking of a drink tonight.

I HAVE NEVER,EVER BEEN A DRINKER!Alcohol just didnt do anything for me and tasted bad! I realized this morning that this is the way to get into trouble with alcohol! It happens so fast and who would think that one drink can get into a persons head like this? But this is definitely how transfer addiction starts.

Thanks OP for asking this question as I needed to see this thread and take responsibility for the fact that I miss food at night and I am trying to replace "something nice" that I've missed so much and cant figure out what it is, with alcohol.

Of course no one around me knows about this as I am a very conservative person and I am very ashamed of the smoking (quit and start all the time now)

So Donewithdieting,seek council this week.Dont wait.Being an alcoholic is an all consuming thing.It steals lives worse than fat does.Maybe just go to an AA meeting.It seems to really work.Work on a plan for yourself to change this!Change your routine,tell someone about this!

As for myself I am going to tell my friend (accountability partner) and I will start going for a walk (run) in the evening and go to bed earlier.and maybe I will find myself a shrink to help me figure out why I always need a "thing". Dieting and food and being fat was my thing for years.It seems Im just trying to replace it now.

[No game 14,437]

How you guys do I will never know.. I'm 2 1/2 months out and had a social function to go to this weekend. There was a lot of drinking going on, and eating . To not look to out of place I had ONE tiny glass of vodka and cranberry juice. I nursed that drink all night added ice continuously to it!

I was wrecked the next day the sleeve did not like it. Though I am cleared to drink I will not any time soon.

[*Dean* 1,594]

How long should did you wait before drinking?

Some people say you should wait until after mid day. Apparently it's the civilised thing to do

I have to admit, if I'm away camping with my mates I'll crack a beer after Breakfast if we're beach fishing..........