Alcohol?!?!

Hi there, I am hoping to have surgery in the new year but was just thinking......I drink alcohol rarely (mostly on holidays). Will I still be able to drin****asionally after surgery? Will it affect me differently?

YES you will be able to drink booze occasionally after surgery. YES it will affect you differently.

Copy n paste old post. 

you'll get clearance from your surgeon when you can drink ETOH.  Not advisable the first 2 months post op (raw healing staple line) ....really not advisable during the rapid fat loss phase (first 6-7 months post op) either cuz our liver is workin overtime already..processin /breakin down adipose fat, producing 2-3xs the NORMAL cholesterol and bile DAILY!! .. ETOH a liver toxin

our first year the buzz comes on fast n furious. Ends just as fast. After a year able to maintain the buzz as before VSG. We become cheap drunks...takes a lot less booze to maintain the buzz.  A drink or 3 as opposed to say 10 a night lol  Spend less $  ka-ching!  Heads up to transfer addictions...common in us post WLS peeps k!!

Robert C. Atkins –– the Granddaddy of our post op diets: 

  "Here's the problem with all alcoholic beverages, and the reason I recommend refraining from alcohol consumption on the diet. Alcohol, whenever taken in, is the first fuel to burn. While that's going on, your body will not burn fat. This does not stop the weight loss, it simply postpones it, since the alcohol does not store as glycogen, you immediately go back into ketosis/lipolysis after the alcohol is used up.   If you must drink alcohol, wine is an acceptable addition to levels beyond the Induction diet. If wine does not suit your taste, straight liquor such as scotch, rye, vodka, and gin would be appropriate, as long as the mixer is sugarless; this means no juice, tonic water; or non-diet soda. Seltzer and diet soda are appropriate."

On WHY the buzz hits us soooo damn harder post VSG 

Women have less ADH an enzyme produced by the stomach THAN men, ALL native americans, inc. mixed native americans lack this enzyme by DNA/evolution also. 1/3 to 1/2 of Asians lack the enyzme as well known as "Asian flushing"  their face gets all red!

ADH ...begins the FIRST alcohol breakdown...as ~10-20% (Ive read confictin %) alcohol is absorbed by the stomach and heads straight to the brain via the vagus nerve (?)...the rest metabolized by the liver...and into the bloodstream.

w/ VSG...less stomach surface even less ADH produced ...bypasses this essential biochemical breakdown....MORE alcohol into the bloodstream and faster than ****!...liquids run right thru us right!

From a post I wrote to another gal explainin ADH in VSG..Suzukis  Alcohol Use Disorders After Bariatric Surgery...  For some reason can't pull up the full PDF version tho..says we gotta pay for it!   Dang it...I wish I had copied the full version down...it was super interestin...anyhoos here's that snippet I did copy..from pg 5.

Ethanol is metabolized partially in the stomach by the gastric ADH enzyme, which reduces ethanol bioavailability [22]. Gastrectomy has been shown to limit this first-pass metabolism, and higher than expected serum ethanol levels are achieved [23]. By limiting the amount of ethanol being metabolized by gastric ADH, RYGB similarly leads to a reduction in the first-pass metabolism so that higher serum ethanol levels are obtained. Similar alterations in the ethanol pharmacokinetics are demonstrated with vertical sleeve gastrectomy [24]. To date, no studies have been conducted to demonstrate changes in ethanol pharmacokinetics following LAGB (lapband)

On booze with VSG ....a few noteworthy rules. 

1. Ya booze ya no lose...as booze metabolizes FIRST ...at 7 cals per gram.....BURNS FIRST!! ..not carbs, not protein, n def not fat! inhibitions way down...may eat **** ya never would straight another MAJOR side effect I suffer when drinkin ,-) 

2. NEVER  drink on an empty stomach

3. NEVER EVER drink n drive  

***ALWAYS*** have a DD or stay put until YOU are completely sober, not when ya "think" you are

A few websites might be of interest on ETOH in weight loss surgery:

Prevalence of ETOH in WLS

ETOH after WLS

Sparkpeople ETOH and WL

After your stomach has healed, a drink every now and then isn't going to hurt you. It will take less to catch a buzz so be sure to have a driver.

I enjoyed drinking wine before surgery, and I was concerned that it would be hard to give up the wine.  But I've found that I do not crave wine, and don't miss it.  At about 4 months out, I attended a weekend gathering where there was lots of wine.  I decided I would wait until the meat course of the dinner before having wine, and then I had 1/2 glass, and it was plenty for me.  It didn't trigger cravings for more wine, or upset my food intake.

I was pleased that it was no big deal.  I can take it or leave it.  I will save wine for special occasions, and don't miss it.

Best of luck.

Carol

Thanks for all the great replies :)