Crosspost: Dangers of Alcohol post-WLS
This was posted by one of the members of the other board I participate on and I thought I would share it, hopefully you can read it, if not, copy and paste it in the address bar at the top of your screen where it starts with http:. Some valuable information for those of us who've had surgery and those who have yet had it. . . also a follow up response by someone on the
http://www.facebook.com/notes/cari-de-la-cruz/reality-check- yes-it-can-and-does-happen/10151038474456224
This I copied from a response to this article on Facebook's Gastric Bypass/Lapband/Sleeve Patients page. . .
Wendy Brydges 7:50am Jun 12
Alcohol is quite dangerous to people who have have gastric bypass surgery. Because the surgery bypasses the pyloric valve in the stomach, any alcohol that is consumed does not have the chance to mix with digestive juices in the stomach. Therefore, the "raw" alcohol flows directly into the small intestines (just as any fluid or food that is consumed after gastric bypass).
This has several negative effects for the bypassed individual.
First, this unprocessed alcohol is absorbed very quickly by the intestines. People report feeling an almost instant "rush" of intoxication (or that buzzed feeling) after drinking alcohol. It has been shown in studies that a bypassed person's blood alcohol level (BAL) goes up higher and quicker than their non-bypassed counterparts. A higher BAL has many poor effects on such things as judgement, emotional control, and motor control. If someone could drink one drink and be "fine" before their surgery, this may not be true at all after their surgery.
Second, the unprocessed alcohol hits a person's liver like a ton of bricks. The liver can only process about 1 oz of alcohol per hour whether it hits it fast or hits it slow. This means that the quickly absorbed "raw" alcohol just hangs around in a person's liver waiting its turn to be processed. While this is happening alcohol is doing the damage that alcohol does to ones liver, just at a quicker pace.
Last (at least for this answer), the alcohol that goes to the brain so quickly, doesn't get cleared out nearly as quickly as normal because the liver is working so hard. Therefore, a person's brain can be damaged much sooner than a non-bypassed person's brain. Intoxication literally has the word "toxic" in it for a reason. Alcohol is a toxin to the brain, the liver, and many other organs in the body.
I think that alcohol is a source of empty calories that a gastric bypass patient should simply bypass permanently. People have a gastric bypass to improve their health. Throwing alcohol into the mix does not help a person work toward that goal of a healthier overall quality of life.
Comment History
http://www.facebook.com/notes/cari-de-la-cruz/reality-check- yes-it-can-and-does-happen/10151038474456224
This I copied from a response to this article on Facebook's Gastric Bypass/Lapband/Sleeve Patients page. . .
Wendy Brydges 7:50am Jun 12
Alcohol is quite dangerous to people who have have gastric bypass surgery. Because the surgery bypasses the pyloric valve in the stomach, any alcohol that is consumed does not have the chance to mix with digestive juices in the stomach. Therefore, the "raw" alcohol flows directly into the small intestines (just as any fluid or food that is consumed after gastric bypass).
This has several negative effects for the bypassed individual.
First, this unprocessed alcohol is absorbed very quickly by the intestines. People report feeling an almost instant "rush" of intoxication (or that buzzed feeling) after drinking alcohol. It has been shown in studies that a bypassed person's blood alcohol level (BAL) goes up higher and quicker than their non-bypassed counterparts. A higher BAL has many poor effects on such things as judgement, emotional control, and motor control. If someone could drink one drink and be "fine" before their surgery, this may not be true at all after their surgery.
Second, the unprocessed alcohol hits a person's liver like a ton of bricks. The liver can only process about 1 oz of alcohol per hour whether it hits it fast or hits it slow. This means that the quickly absorbed "raw" alcohol just hangs around in a person's liver waiting its turn to be processed. While this is happening alcohol is doing the damage that alcohol does to ones liver, just at a quicker pace.
Last (at least for this answer), the alcohol that goes to the brain so quickly, doesn't get cleared out nearly as quickly as normal because the liver is working so hard. Therefore, a person's brain can be damaged much sooner than a non-bypassed person's brain. Intoxication literally has the word "toxic" in it for a reason. Alcohol is a toxin to the brain, the liver, and many other organs in the body.
I think that alcohol is a source of empty calories that a gastric bypass patient should simply bypass permanently. People have a gastric bypass to improve their health. Throwing alcohol into the mix does not help a person work toward that goal of a healthier overall quality of life.
Comment History
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
Laureen....what a great article....thank you so much!!
I have MAYBE a light beer or one glass of wine on the weekend. I drink water with Crystal Light. Bartenders don't care. We still leave a good tip.
I know how harmful alcohol is and I don't want to mess with it. I feel healthy !! I had my surgery to feel better. I won't jeopardize that.
Funny how the brain works. Why swap one addiction for another. It sure happens to a lot of weight loss people. I don't want to be one of them. Maintenance it hard enough!
I don't judge what others do....this is just my opinion. I don't care if others choose to drink every day. I am not trying to be better then anyone else.
HUGS.....connie d
I have MAYBE a light beer or one glass of wine on the weekend. I drink water with Crystal Light. Bartenders don't care. We still leave a good tip.
I know how harmful alcohol is and I don't want to mess with it. I feel healthy !! I had my surgery to feel better. I won't jeopardize that.
Funny how the brain works. Why swap one addiction for another. It sure happens to a lot of weight loss people. I don't want to be one of them. Maintenance it hard enough!
I don't judge what others do....this is just my opinion. I don't care if others choose to drink every day. I am not trying to be better then anyone else.
HUGS.....connie d
Like you Connie, not judging, but putting out information for those who want to read about it and reading the article I learned something new, as well as it reiterated a few things I had heard before. The reality is our bodies are changed once we have RNY and so things metabolize differently, which is why some people wind up alcoholics after surgery, who did not have the propensity to be them prior, though many of us ate addictively and there can be some correlation to becoming alcoholic, I think much of it stems from the rerouted plumbing. . . one day at a time, not something I even think about doing. . .
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
Laureen,
Excellent article to share.
Before WLS I wasn't much into alcohol.Mostly because I like to be in control whenever possible.
After surgery it didn't seem too hard to skip a drink when others were downing theirs.
One night Tom brought home a tasty white wine. I took a little sip, then decide to have 4 tiny ounces of my own. It hit FAST, it hit HARD. I was a stumbling, sick
DRUNK. Thank goodness I was home and not in public.
My preference is to stay away from alcohol and not feel that rotten ever again.
Annette
Excellent article to share.
Before WLS I wasn't much into alcohol.Mostly because I like to be in control whenever possible.
After surgery it didn't seem too hard to skip a drink when others were downing theirs.
One night Tom brought home a tasty white wine. I took a little sip, then decide to have 4 tiny ounces of my own. It hit FAST, it hit HARD. I was a stumbling, sick
DRUNK. Thank goodness I was home and not in public. My preference is to stay away from alcohol and not feel that rotten ever again.
Annette
Annette 
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