X-Post - ALCOHOLISM.
"Just got an email letting me know there were replies to my old thread from last April.
I am an alcoholic - I was fooling myself to think I could control it.
I am on day 102 of sobriety, and am finding it easier now to concentrate on my health and nutrition now that I got that monkey off my back.
There is a lot of theory out there and research to that effect that having gastric bypass surgery can 're-wire' people's systems enough so that they more quickly become alcoholics. We don't have the digestive enzymes to break down the alcohol as effectively anymore - much like the studies that were done that show native Canadians or Americans don't have - and I don't know about south of the border, but alcoholism is RAMPANT in the native population up here.
I have also recently found out I was using alcohol to regulate my insulin and blood sugars - I am Hypoglycemic. And, I had a previous addiction to nicotine in the past. Getting surgery was - for me - a guarantee that I would develop alcoholism. It was just a matter of time, and unfortunately I took that first drink 3 months out.
Alcoholism is a progressive disease, and gastric bypass puts it into warp speed.
My advice would be to NEVER *NEVER* pick up a drink after surgery. Ever. And if it's too late and you already have, never take another. And if you even THINK you're drinking a 'little too much' stop NOW. You could be one drink away from that slippery slope of alcoholism. I am just glad I stopped before I hit rock bottom. Because with our new system post-surgery, rock bottom could be 6 feet under.
Please take this to heart.
I wish the medical community could really start warning people what could happen regarding alcohol. Simply asking someone if they drank a lot prior to surgery isn't enough. We can lie, or you can tell the truth like I did: "I am a once in a while party binger, or a few drinks with company and nothing for weeks/MONTHS after". But nonetheless, 3 years post-surgery I was a full-blown alcoholic.
Good luck to all of you.
Diana"
Find out WHY at www.whyquit.com...
My surgery was 04/03/03. I was never a real drinker. I would go and and drink socially. I faithfully went to my WLS support group for 2 years. Stayed on track with my vitamins and protien. Then I got married in 2006. My husband is a stay at home drinker. I'm not blaming him at all..... But I started doing the same. Then I got laid off from my job after being with them for 18 years. What was hard was that they kept the new person (only 1 year) and let go of 6 of us that had 17+ years with the company. I found myself drinking even more. I had been in denial and thought I could conquer it. I'm not succeeding. I started school and for an English Research paper I decided to do a research paper on Gaining Weight after WLS. But it's turned into Alcoholism and WLS.
Did you know that alcohol relaxes the body whi*****ludes the esophagus and stomach, which allows us to eat more? This has become an eye opening experience for me. Now I'm looking for an AA group to join. I cannot believe this has happened to me. I never really liked alcohol let alone beer. Now I can slam down a bottle in like 5 minutes.
There really needs to be a bigger forum for addiction transer (cross-addiction) on this site.
"Hello my name is Heather and I am an alcohilic"
WOW!!!!
I am seven years post op and on 2/9/11 i will celebrate two years of sobriety. My story mirrors yours. My friend who had surgery a few months before me is now almost 4 years sober. If there is anyone reading this that has not had the surgery do not EVER pick up a drink even if you have never had a problem with alcohol. I went from 319 down to 155. I could drink up to a case of beer a night and I did that for several years. I was a totally functioning alcoholic. But I was dieing a slow death. I pray to God everyday that I never take another drink because for me to drink is to die. This is seriuos, serious stuff people. Do not fool yourself into thinking that it wont happen to you.
Heather H.
