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

hey...

my understanding is that people who have RNY are something like 9x more likely to become alcoholics. I come from a family of addicts and was an alcoholic and drug addict in my teens (no I don't mean weed, much much worse) I quit cold turkey at 17. Best thing I could have ever done. Now I add WLS to that list.

There are studies after studies that show alcohol and RNY should not mix.

I personally believe it is 2 or 3 issues: transfer addiction - some of us used to be addicted to food- carbs - now when we need our "fix" we reach for alcohol or drugs; the real gut reaction to alcohol; and 3rd - when dealing with small intestine pain and discomfort after eating - alcohol can be used as "drug" to relax the small intestine and help with the pain. That how I started drinking daily - the pain and cramps- due to twisted guts was somewhat relieved when I woudl drink alcohol with it - during the day I would only eat small qty of slider foods or drink shakes, and I was able to eat if I drank alcohol. I was saying "I could be hungry or drunk. Today I chose to be drunk ..." Sometimes it was wine - sometime a shot of vodka or brandy.

http://scienceline.org/2015/01/alcoholism-after-gastric-bypa ss-is-it-in-your-mind-or-gut/

Thanks, this is a lot to think about.

I have had a glass of wine here and there. Maybe once every three or four weeks. I have never been a big drinker. Part of that has been a conscious thing. I have thought at times (before surgery) that a nightly glass of wine would be a nice thing to have. But I know myself and know that moderation is, ah, not my strong suite. Mostly I just prefer a cup of coffee or tea, lol. But this really makes me think how easy it would be to step over, especially when alcohol is definitely so much more mood altering since surgery. A glass of wine before surgery was just a glass of wine. A glass of wine now has a definite effect on me.

Drinking and driving...we have a strict zero tolerance rule about that anyway, my husband and I, always have.

I was so good post surgery not drinking. Then I started drinking again. I am a alcoholic.

Drinking was a major part in my life. Now I am 1 year and four months sober. I was too embarrassed at first to post asking questions. I thought I had control.

Not true at all. I was always balls against the walls when I drank. I started having one or two then it lead to a lot more.

I came to realize I had a problem when I hit my rock bottom. It is a night I don't remember. It was a total black out.

Thank goodness I didn't hurt anyone. I did hurt myself and my family with the abuse of alcohol.

Coming here and reading about others problems with alcohol really was more so a seed in my head.

I wanted to stop drinking. But I didn't know how. I just know I woke up daily saying I am never going to drink again. Then I would end up in the liquor store buying wine.

Having WLS and realizing I am an alcoholic pretty much go hand in hand. It made me grow and see that I was turning into.

I just didn't want to feel. I now struggle with not wanting to feel and that scares me. But I did start going to AA. It has helped.

I just know if I didn't have this website things could end differently.

Hala shares some great points here. I can't say to anyone do not drink. But really think about it before you do.

I was a drunk before surgery. I know having RNY really put me over the edge. I don't blame my problem on the surgery. It is me. I am an alcoholic.

Learning daily how to deal with life's issues.

Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for sharing your story and your honesty. I wa going to post a question about WLS and alcohol the other day.

I am pre-op and I enjoy good quality wines, not daily not even weekly. My Centre says no alcohol for a year after surgery. I am not worried about my ability to abstain as per my centre's direction but I am concerned if I ever do have wine again what the outcome would be.

That was me before RNY - " ...pre-op and I enjoyed good quality wines, not daily not even weekly." I did not care if I had a drink or not. I could go for months without drinking. and idea of drinking by myself at home was foreign to me.

That was me before RNY .... after RNY something changed.

Your post is scary. I've read many posts on here in regards to alcohol post op. The posts are never good, never! My fear is that alcohol is my job. I taste anywhere from 50-150 products on a bi-weekly basis. (Of course I spit everything out, I would hammered). I've taken a year off from doing this for my wls. Addiction runs in my family so this is weighing on my mind a lot. I guess all I can do is try when my year is up and be very aware of how I feel. Worse case would be a step down/backwards so that I don't taste. Thank you for your honesty, sometimes you never know who you are helping. God bless

never expected to have problem with alcohol post op RNY.

as another poster said- that before RNY - " ... I enjoyed good quality wines, not daily not even weekly." I did not care if I had a drink or not. I could go for months without drinking. And an idea of drinking by myself at home was foreign to me.

That was me before RNY .... after RNY something changed.

There are people who can handle alcohol post-op RNY, there are people who THINK they can handle alcohol post op RNY.

Thank you for taking the time to write this out. While I know I'm an issue for many of you, I do care, and I do value your insight. I thought about you and this note last night when I stopped at the market and saw a bottle of my favorite wine on sale. One of my boundaries is "buying alcohol" which is to say, I won't buy a bottle for my home. I had all sorts of rationalizations for buying a bottle or two at this great price - I wouldn't open it unless I had company over! But I made these "rules" for a reason, because like you and others point out so well, no one intends to have a drinking problem.

I'm not going to take a vow of abstinence, but I am paying much closer attention to all the weaselly ways that rationalization is working in my life.