Alcohol

Best to do non while in weight loss phase.  Find a low cal drink to have while being social.  At goal, lite drinking is fine provided it does not make you dive into nibbles. Gl

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My surgeon had a one year moratorium on alcohol and either a 3 or 6 month moratorium on carbonation (sorry, that was 8 years ago, so I don't remember which it was on the carbonation). Her preference was that we give up alcohol and diet soda entirely, but she knew that these were not realistic expectations. The surgeons I currently work for part time prohibit both carbonation and alcohol for six months.

My surgeon's longer prohibition on alcohol was because by the time people are a year out they have had a chance to do more of the psychological work and are a sonethat less likely to develop a transfer addiction.

FWIW, I think the one-year moratorium is a good idea, especially since -- in addition to how differently alcohol reacts with our altered systems, and in addition to the potential addiction issue -- it is empty calories and carbs.

Lora

I asked a question about alcohol when I was less than 3 months out and got quite the response, too.  http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/5272959/Alcoholic-beverages/  Don't take it personally, alcohol is a hot topic around these parts.

I had my drink that night (a gin & tonic that I stirred the bubbles out as much as I could and let sit so the soda was pretty flat), did not fini**** because the bartender messed it up. (I know, how do you mess up a gin & tonic?!) 

I don't think I had another drink for another 6 months or more and again, didn't fini**** so there were no adverse reactions.  A couple of weeks ago, I had a drink at the beginning of a wedding reception (gin & tonic, stirred and ice melted a bit to reduce carbonation) and even though I sipped it slowly, I felt it hard but I was alright pretty quickly.  After eating, I had a sip of champagne and another gin & tonic.  It was small, I sipped it even slower, and added more ice to it so it was more watered down.  It did not hit me as hard, but I felt it, and totally get the warnings about drinking after surgery, especially if you are driving. 

I did not make any bad food choices during the wedding due to my imbibing.  I have not had another drink since and do not plan to have another until the next wedding in October.  

There was no taste difference for me following surgery.  I still do not like wine or champagne, but I had a sip of a mimosa which tasted the same (still good).  You will figure out your best choice if you choose to have a drink.  Be sure to drink it slow so it does not knock you on your butt and avoid driving afterwards because you don't know your limit anymore.

As a person with 29 years of WLS experience and 8 years on this board, observing, there is a definite pattern with people who ask about alcohol consumption early out from surgery.  If you use the search feature on this site you will find a lot of people that have developed transfer addictions whose lives have been destroyed.  We've watched people die from alcohol addiction.  There are also tons of posts about how people started back to their old habits, including drinking, and have gained back all their weight.  The folks *****sponded to you are concerned for your health. 

When you opted to have surgery, you knew there would be a lot of behavior modification that would have to happen in order for you to be successful.  The surgeons only operate on our stomachs.  The rest is up to us.  We have to get the head stuff right and make good choices.  Is the social alcohol consumption for work more important than the potential risk?  Are you concerned about how others will view you by not drinking?  Only you can answer those questions.  I would think that nobody you work with gives a hoot whether you drink alcohol or not.  You are the one not wanting to change that part of your life.  Why?  In the scheme of things, is it really that important to drink alcohol?

Personally, I did not go to the extreme of having WLS to take that kind of risk.  I knew I would have to change everything about my eating/ drinking habits in order to be successful.  The pattern I see on this site is that those *****fuse to change how they relate to food/ drink are usually the ones that come back complaining of regain or worse.  

Alcohol will slow your weight loss.  It might cause transfer addiction problems.  It could hinder you from making good food choices ( as in eating bar food, going out afterwards, etc.).  

You are an adult.  You make your own choices. 

So because i was curious and asked a question I am now at a greater risk of developing a transfer addiction, i'd love to see your statistics. It amazes me how many people on these boards feel the need to lecture other people, i asked a simple question and half the people treat me as if i'm hanging outside of a liquor store with my brown paper bag begging people to buy me a bottle of Thunderbird.  I know plenty about alcohol addiction and its evils, i don't need people to lecture me on peer pressure, addiction etc especially when it isn't germane to the simple question i asked at the beginning, which was "How quickly after surgery were you approved to have any alcohol and has your taste/preference changed since surgery?"  I didn't ask, "what happens if i have a beer a month after surgery or im tempted to have a drink today, is it a good idea?"

I'm 29 years out and my doctor has STILL not "cleared me for alcohol".  There is your answer.  Even if he did "clear me", I would choose not to because I'm not willing to take the risk.  Clearly you are willing to take the risk.   I was not lecturing you.  I said that you are an adult and you make your own choices.  I did not see anyone make it sound like you were " hanging outside of a liquor store with my brown paper bag begging people to buy me a bottle of Thunderbird".  They were simply issuing a warning based on what they have seen through the years.

When you ask a question on an open forum, you take all answers and use what you need and ignore what you don't need.  Getting upset with a bunch of strangers on the internet is pointless.  Bottom line is you want to drink.... so drink.  

I don't particularly care if anyone drinks anything - it's up to them. So, there's my disclaimer.

I would like to mention the damaging effect alcohol can have on the liver after weight loss surgery. During the weight loss phase, the liver has to work triple-time to keep up and that puts it at risk of damage. Alcohol basically kicks it in the gut when it's already worn out, if you know what I mean.

Anyway. Food for though, so to speak. Take care of your liver, trust me.

If you want stats... According to one study, the percentage of patients with alcohol abuse increased from 7.6% pre-op to 9.6% post-op. Other studies find similar patterns.

If an RNY patient asked when they could have a donut, folks here would probably say "that's not a good idea, it can make you sick." I'm not sure this is any different.

You're not at greater risk for transfer addiction because you were curious & asked a question. You're at risk if you used food as an emotional crutch & now alcohol takes the place of food.

Of course no one knows if you've used food in this way. No one knows whatever research you've done & what you know or don't know & it looks like you're getting defensive because you think that other people think you're stupid or an addict, or will be an addict very soon. No one knows what you know, hence all the responses.

A big ole red flag pops up whenever someone asks about how soon you can drink after surgery, only because there are very real dangers involved with alcohol, especially with wls patients.

I wasn't given a date, at least none that I can remember, on when I could drink again & I like to drink. I drank b4 surgery & I still drink on occasion now, but alcohol hits me much harder now than b4 & I can't rely on the old standby of eating & drinking to slow it down, not that I think it did., at least not by much. Plus I know whenever I do drink my weight loss stops & it takes awhile b4 it gets going again. 

So if you drink to fit in more at your job, just remember you're taking a break from losing weight too. You'll have to decide if it's really worth it.

since you know all about it, why do you even care what OUR programs allow? All that matters is what YOUR program allows. You opened yourself up for this discussion when you posted. You don't get to choose how ppl respond to a public post.