Alcohol

I'm a few months out from my surgery.  One of the things that truly worries me is the inability to have a few drinks.  I know I'm where I'm at because I like to go out and have a good time drinking and eating, but I would like to know that I could have a ****tail when out with friends.  Is it possible to have an aloholic drink down the road?

Toddy ,  I don't know the type of surgery you are having  but follow DR.'s orders  Mine said after a year.     

When I asked my doc a similar question he gave me the text book answer, which is that we should avoid foods and beverages that have little or no nutritional value. Then he told me "off the record" that all things in moderation are permissible. That being said, he suggested that I wait a minimum of 6 months preferrably a year before I started introducing alcohol. I do not see what type of surgery you are considering, that can make a difference in what you might be able to drink. I don't want to sound "preachy" but you have to be very careful with cross/transfer addicition as well. Also, its has been my experience that what they say about a person with RNY feeling the effects of alcohol quicker and stronger is VERY true. I rarely have a drink, but lets just say that when I do I am a very cheap date for my wife!!!

The program I am in does acknowledge that you can have a drink down the road.  But you need to be very careful because of how the body processes the alcohol.  I don't know which surgery you had, but with the RNY, we don't have the "stomach" we used to that would hold alcohol and let little bits in at a time.  With our pouch, it'll just zoom right into our intestines and be absorbed right away.  Now this may sound like a good thing, but in the big picture, it's very very dangerous because it can lead to alcohol poisoning. Another thing to watch out for is switching one bad habit for another (can't remember the fancy name of it).  Basically, people who were previously food addicts have a higher tendency to become addicted to something else... in this case, alcohol.  I've read about others (on this board recently actually) that have had similar problems.  Not preaching or anything.... I just feel every choice should be well informed. =)

I am over two years out now and I started having an occasional ****tail at about the six month mark. I was a really easy drunk in the beginning after six months without a drink. I still have one or two drinks 2-3 times a week in social settings and you do have to be aware of how your body processes alcohol. I find if I drink too much alcohol on an empty pouch/intestines then it hit me really quick and I become sleepy. There is a fine line between feeling good, being hammered, or passing out. I do find that if I eat before/as I drink the affects are easier to control. I was the same way to a lesser extent before I had WLS.   If you were addicted to food before WLS then you do have a higher risk of cross-addition transference (Thanks Ophra!!) to some other additive behavior like drinking, smoking, or sex. I don't smoke anymore but I can recommend the other two!! It really all comes down to moderation and paying attention to what your body is telling you. Go slow and see how you handle it at home first and find out how your new system processes alcohol before you hit happy hour at the local bars. Regards, Tim

Thanks for all the responses.  I am having the open RNY.  I do know that talking with others that have had the RNY say that they feel the effects after 1 drink.  Which would even be fine with me, as long as I can nurse the drink all night, I'd be satisfied.  Not to mention the cash I will save

I kinda left the heavy drinking habit behind when I got into my 40's. I had WLS when I was 47.5 years old and I probably didn't get "wiped out" more than 3-4 times from age 40 through my surgery date. I say that to say this, alcohol is not one of my demons. I've gone over 6 months at this point without a drink and it doesn't bother me one iota. There's a half full litre bottle of Crown in my cupboard right now that has been there untouched since before surgery. It's hard to imagine that you're life would change enough that you'd get totally satisfied living life as a teetotaler, but you might very well find that that happens to you with this surgery. I'll finish up that bottle of Crown at some point I feel sure, but I'm in no big hurry. Getting to goal before the window of opportunity closes is much more important to me at this point. JF

I have never been big on the hard stuff, so I have not experienced yet getting plastered on an oz of hard booze. However, I used to love a shot of Bailey's in my coffee. The key word here is "used". The other day I had hubris to have a shot of Bailey's in my coffee after only 8 weeks post-op. Besides the dumping due to the cream, I was out of it for a good 45 minutes - Not the experience I want to relive anytime soon ....

I didnt have a drink for 6 months after RNY but started having beer at that point. I drank alot of beer on the weekends before surgery and fell back into the same habit when I started again.It didnt make me gain wieght and I still worked out 4 days a week. The problem was i could drink alot more then before . Before when i would drink beer I would get hungry after 7 or 8 and would eat wich would fill me up and I wouldnt drink any more and go to sleep. After Rny I coulddrink a 18 pack in a night and that was not light beer it was bud. I would still only drink on weekends  but I would be hungover till wednesday. So I realized I should stop. So be careful If you decide to start drinking after RNY You might like it more than before. good luck