Alcoholism/Alcohol...My experience
Hi everyone. I was going to reply to a number of questions and decided to just post my story and my journey after WLS.
I am a recovering alcoholic. WLS 2007, in recovery since 2012. I didn't listen when they told me to not pick up that first drink after surgery. I thought, "I can handle it."
I do NOT regret my WLS. It has saved my life. Alcohol nearly took my life NUMEROUS times, and that is not an exaggeration in any way.
*This is my story and my opinions only. Take what you can and leave the rest, as they say.
I should have realized I had a drinking problem 40 years ago. I wasn't honest with myself. Alcoholism ran in my family, I had been around it my entire life. I now believe that alcoholism is a disease and I metabolize it different than non alcoholics. Once alcohol hits my system, I can't stop. When I had WLS, I was in total denial, and it started coming to a head in 2012.
I was a functioning alcoholic/social drinker up to that point.
I was holding a high level position in the Corporate Travel Industry, raising a family, owned a home, managed the home front when my husband (now my ex) was deployed several times. I was in total control of everything in my life, until I wasn't.
Whether you drink or not after WLS, is YOUR decision. I chose to pick up and my results were disastrous. I lost my career, my family, my home, my health and nearly lost my life, again, on numerous occasions.
Update:I have been trying to get/stay sober since 2012, and recently celebrated 18 months of sobriety, and have never been happier. I actually have a relationship with my 2 adult boys, and am living a happier, healthier life than I ever have in the past.
I'm sure there are many people who post on this site have been able to drink normally after WLS, that is not me. I can't give you any advice on that.
I wish you all the best on your Weight Loss Journey.
Lisa
Your story has been repeated thousands of times. But most never get and stay sober, so you have something to be very proud of. We all struggle with something and the secret is to figure out what to do about it and then follow through to live a better life.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
As a newbie, I want to thank you for sharing your story and being so open about it. Many of us who have had surgery or are going to have surgery do not realize how alcohol can impact us. I am only 10 mos post op and I have lost 140 to date. I recently started becoming more social and that entailed going out with others who were drinking and yep you guessed it I picked up a bad habit. My weight loss has stalled. I am not dealing with a bit of an issue of wanting to socially drink every night and it is hard to NOT. I CAN'T seem to drink normally, NOW. I hope I can overcome this and get back on the right path. No one should ever take drinking, even socially after surgery lightly. It can easily get away from you.
Congratulations on your 18 months of sobriety, on your reconnection with your sons and I, wish you continued success and many good things to come. I hope you continue to update us on how you are doing.
AW
Congrats on your weight loss.
Being aware that you are starting to have an issue so soon after surgery is a positive. I didn't admit I had an issue for 4 years, and by then my drinking was out of control. My weight loss stalled also, but realized the sugar in the alcohol was a big part of the problem.
Please feel free to send me a private message if you want to talk further.
Lisa M
I really hesitate to post this .
I may get literally kicked off the site by a very judgmental clearly ninety year old censor who?s a close relative of the retired owner and founder of ObesityHelp, Eric .
I feel there is this huge prejudice here concerning alcohol and drugs .
As a result of preaching Nancy - Reagan like ... just say no ... don?t do it lol ... we?re basically turning off and turning away every young person coming here for help .
ObesityHelp isn?t a quilting bee . It isn?t a place to talk about your grandkids or your aging issues ... it?s for EVERYONE struggling with their weight .
MOST of ( the younger I guess though I know plenty of cocaine cowboys from the seventies and eighties and nineties ) us have tried to control our weight with coke and meth and maybe prescribed Adderall and antidepressants .
I feel we can?t talk about struggles freely here from this cult - like censorship.
I subjected myself to AA and OA for thirty years ... since I was under fifteen . I don?t believe in it . It?s a cult .
Bill W died an alcoholic because he plagiarized the writings of a thirteenth century Jewish physician to the Ottoman ( Arab) emperor (Maimonides ) who actually wrote the ? twelve steps? .
This twentieth century Harvard educated alcoholic assohole just copied them .... and justified and got away with it because of virulent anti Semitism .
When he was subsequently lionized for achievements that were clearly not his own years later he got and stayed drunk lol. Typical piece of **** alcoholic .
Please stop preaching that cultish nonsense here - especially pretending there?s no reasonable alternative.
You grandmas probably don?t like this but realistic facts are all people are doing much more drugs than EVER.
It?s a realistic part of happy overweight recovery that we can post HONESTLY without idiots getting on our case ( who are probably drinking and using THEMSELVES... maybe pain pills maybe prescribed but it?s all the same .
Please stop judging and start THINKING and HELPING (((())))) hugs
