Often asked question: When can I have a glass of wine/beer post op WLS?

Never... is the simple answer... I wish I was told that...

You are an adult, do what you want to do. We always do anyway, right?

I was told - at least one year or until you reach a goal. I really did no have alcohol until I was at my goal. And even then I was not in a real hurry to have some.

Based on my own personal experience and personal observation, if you chose to drink any alcoholic beverages - I hope you remain in "I can control my alcohol consumption group".

Not drinking alcohol after WLS for me is not even "the weight loss honeymoon" "your liver is stressed", etc etc. IMPO - It is a really really bad idea.

Unfortunately no one starts drinking thinking "I just drin****il I no longer can control how often or how much I drink". Everyone who becomes an alcoholic think that they are in control. Until they are not. And they are stuck.

It is like with obesity - you needed WLS because you could not control what and how much you eat and drink. You needed a tool to help you get in control.

Drinking casually and openly talking about it may also give others false sense of security - "she can do, so can I, i never had problem with alcohol before RNY".

The problem is that most people who end up with alcohol abuse - alcohol dependency post op WLS never had issues with the qty of alcohol they drank before the surgery. I was one of them - with a false sense of security. Until I was no longer "safe from cravings".

Alcohol affects most of us, post op RNY, differently that before. 4 oz of wine now affect me as if I had 6 oz of hard liquor before. Very fast and hard. Not only I am much smaller size, but the alcohol reaches my system very fast, and 100% of it gets absorbed. Nothing gets "processed and neutralized" by my stomach. All goes to my blood, my head and my liver. I used to drive after one glass of wine. I thought I was fine. I know I was not. Technically I was not legally drank, but I felt "off".

I wish someone was as hard on me to tell me not to drink. Not seldom - never drink.

I knew I was in trouble when I would drink 1/2 to a whole bottle of wine per day. It helped with my gut pain, my digestion, my stress... and what is 2 glasses of wine over a long evening? not much - right? Wine helped me relaxed. Until one day I could not go to sleep without it. And the next day...

I don't think I ever crossed the line between dependency and addiction. But there was time that there couldn't be alcohol in my house, with me not drinking all of it. That lasted at least 6 months if not longer. I could not eat solid foods unless I drank wine with it. The I had surgery to fix the hernia but I still drank daily. It would start with "just one glass of wine" - but it seldom ended on one glass ..unless one glass was all I had at home.

Now I know that it is really hard for me to just have a "one glass". So more often than not - I don't have any.

As close as I was to becoming an alcoholic was too close for my comfort. I have a great life, good house, great partner, great friends. Some of my close friends don't drink. Some drink in moderation. The ones that drink too much - I no longer chose to associate with.

I know a lady who had the same surgery when I had mine. She used to have 1/2 glass of wine if any before RNY. Now - at dinner - she can have 3-4 glasses... And she gets into the car to drive home. I doubt she is sober when she drives. But she thinks she is in total control. She regained half of the weight she lost, while she really does not eat that much. I no longer can socialize with her because going out to dinner with her would mean she would be driving home drank and I don't want to be a part of it. She knows she drinks "bit too much"(her words not mine) but she does not believe she has issues.

A couple of years ago I chose not to drink for a year. Complete abstinence. Initially it was not easy, we would go out when others would drink (in moderation), we were at parties and hosted parties in our house. After a year of total abstinence, not only I lost the last of my 15 lbs or regain, but I was finally ready for my last PS. I "rewarded" myself with a face lift. The next 3-4 months as I was healing - I also did not drink any alcohol. Now - I may have a glass of wine or a few sips of my partner beer (to taste) when we are out and he is driving. I no longer drink any alcohol when I am the driver. We have wine, beer and other alcohol at home - but I no longer have cravings for it.

I see what alcohol can do to a person. My ex was an alcoholic, my friend is an alcoholic, I knew a few people who died because of alcohol or drugs. None of them planed to have an addiction when they picked the first or the last glass or a pill. They all thought they were in control, until they were not.

RNY changes how our body absorbs and processes alcohol and drugs.

I don't want anyone to think it is OK to drink alcohol post op RNY. Early on or long term.

You are an adult, do what you want to do. We always do that anyway, right?

Thanks Hala. I truly hope people pay close attention to this.

Thank you for posting this raw, real post, Hala. As I get closer to surgery, alcohol is not only one of the things I think about, but one of the most asked questions I get from people in my life. I'll be open and say one of the main reasons I wasn't ready before now for the surgery is I wasn't ready to give up alcohol. I don't drink to excess... but I love to drink socially.

I am at the point where there are so many things this surgery will give me that alcohol won't, and i AM ready to give it up, forever, to have the life i truly want.

So when people ask me when I will be able to drink again, despite what my centre has told me, and what I've read here... because i know for me it's a gateway; I tell people the truth: "I don't know. I'm prepared to give it up for life, and to be honest, I may never drink again. I'll figure it out as I go."

ETA: Thanks to al of you who "liked" my post. For some reason, they aren't sticking!! Hopefully, the weight will have the non-stick effect once I have surgery!!

I can definitely attest to the "it hits you harder" aspect. Maybe not to the 1 glass of wine = 6 shots of booze level but everybody's different. I met an old friend for "a beer" after work recently and I barely made it to sunset. Not good.

BRILLIANT post Hala! Thank you for this!!! I sure hope newbies are reading this and understanding how valuable your experience is.

I am not a drinker, I was not a drinker pre surgery either so this is not a problem for me, but sugar oy vey that is my addiction and I fight that daily.

Thanks again for the awesome post

Thanks Hala. As grim said, I hope people read and listen.

The most common question I get from people is how do I feel now. The second and it's a close second, is some variation of what about alcohol. I just tell people I don't plan to drin****il I hit goal. It's not a conversation I'm interested in having most of the time.

I have taken the time to explain the risks of alcohol post op a few times, but it seems to overwhelm a lot of people haha

its easier for them to relate to the idea of empty calories.

it's been eye opening to see people's response to even that!

I was also told never so it is shocking to the Pollyanna side of me when I hear of people I know drinking after WLS.

An ex-coworker had WLS several years ago. He lost a good deal of weight in the beginning but not much after that, didn't change his eating habits, and even gained weight back. He would go on extended bathroom breaks and I'd send other male co-workers to go check on him to make sure he hadn't coded out in the bathroom.

The big thing - he still drank. A lot. Heavy, hard alcohol. A year ago his kidneys and liver failed and he died. He was barely in his 50's.

I came from a family of alcoholics and drug users so I had my own adult rule of "a one drink limit". But I barely drank 2-3 drinks in a year. I'm a control freak in general so not being " 100% in control at all times" is not my thing. When I lost one of my kidneys to cancer when I was 41, drinking alcohol became just not an option for me. I don't even miss it.

I wish I could say the same about Diet Coke. It is crack for me. Just a couple of sips. I sneak it once in awhile and pay for it immediately with a painful stomach. I'm working on it.

GREAT POST!

I have given my opinion on this many a time so I will just leave this at thank you for writing this!

Ceci

Thank you for your highly informative post. My bariatric group says no alcohol ever. I quit drinking a number of years ago. One really difficult thing to deal with was other people's reactions...embarrassed to drink around me, assuming that now that I was sober I wasn't funny anymore or couldn't possibly be any fun at all. I imagine many people who stop drinking after wls get the same reaction ... I think when I quit Jack Daniels stock bottomed out!

Thanks for your honesty! My plan says no alcohol for a year, regardless of getting to goal. I honestly don't think I'll add it back, as it wasn't something I felt was important before. Plus, my father is an alcoholic, so the danger is there anyway.

I made Sangria for my friend's yesterday and I had a cup of coffee while they drank it and had no cravings to drink it at all. One thing this surgery has taught me is not to consume things simply for the sake of consumption. That applies to drinks just like food.

Is the correlation between WLS surgery and alcoholism specific to RNY (due to the intestinal changes) or all WLS's?