Last call for alcohol

No problem getting to sleep, just staying asleep. Klonopin didn't even work. Neither did Ambien or Lunesta. Very frustrating.

It may not be a transfer addiction but I developed a daily drinking habit 3 years post surgery.  It takes more alcohol to keep a buzz than it did pre-op.  I quit drinking completely about 3 months later and am glad I didn't have any problem quitting.  But during those 3 months I definitely was drinking WAY too much and on a daily basis.  I continued to take my vitamins but I did not eat well during that time and did not get enough protein.

Prior to this problem 3 years post op, I had an occasional beer with no problem.  I waited to try a beer until well after the one year mark and well after my weight loss period was over.

So as with most things DS your mileage may vary. I now choose not to drink. 

~Becky

I was never a drinker prior to surgery. I waited (for the most part****il I was a year out before starting. Like others, I draink every so often but not much at all during the first year (trying something new usually).

Now I drink several times a week. I enjoy it and seek out new drinks and love wine. I don't need to drink and can go weeks without drinking and sometimes drink heavily in a week. It's purely whim.

I am a cheap drunk though! It takes very little to give me a buzz but it wears off quickly (an hour). I don't drink to maintain the buzz which would be very problematic!

I do know a lot of people do become alcoholics post-op with all surgery types (some, it seems more than others). I try to be aware of that and make sure that alcohol is just something that I enjoy rather than something I need. I don't drink alone. If I'm out with friends I will usually stick to wine because it gives me "more bang for my buck" than mixed drinks. I also find that mixed drinks are difficult for me if they contain sugar or fruit juice.

Fruit juice and alcohol are death for me. I have never been so drunk in my life as the time I was drinking fruit juice and vodka. Evil evil combination that will never be repeated. I avoid all fruit juice drinks now. The combination of the two is just potent.

And before anybody asks, the reason I drink now when I didn't pre-op is that my partner enjoys drinking. I never had friends who drank so it wasn't part of my life at all. I didn't do the high school / college drinking (ever) and so it was just not a part of my life. My partner has always enjoyed drinking, going out to bars, having a fully stocked home bar, wine tasting, etc ... now it's part of our life and wine collecting/tasting is a hobby of ours.

I am 3 1/2 years out. I didn't drink for the first two years. I do now...whenever my friend and i go out dancing....which is at least 1 per week. I drink yaeger and red bull. I have never been able to drink much and still can't. I don't think surgery has changed the effects for me. Not positive though....i really didn't drink much pre surgery.

Did not drink at all the first year.  Since then occasionally.  Found tastes and appetites for certain flavors and drinks changed after surgery.  Would order drinks enjoyed before surgery only to not finish them because they didn't taste good anymore.  Had some "grog" this year with friends from Norway and enjoyed it very much.  Probably too much.