Drinking Alcohol??

My 21st birthday is this August!  By then I'll be five months post op.  I've never really drank before because I was waiting until it was legal.  I know carbonation can stretch my sleeve and that I will probably get drunk quicker if I do drink.  Is alcohol completely off limits for me then?  Would my sleeve be able to handle it by August?  Will be kinda bummed if I can't do the traditional 21st birthday getting drunk with friends thing and miss out on that experience because of my sleeve. 

At the risk of sounding like a party-pooper, I'd suggest planning a different type of party than the usual "get wasted" deal.  First and foremost, run this by your doctor to get his blessing one way or the other. Some docs don't want you to have alcohol for a very long time.

At 2+ years out, I have one small prolonged drink now and then with my hubby, with the key words being "one" and "small" (for example, 1/2 shot of whiskey, yum) - no exceptions.  Our sleeves manage to put alcohol onto the fast track to our bloodstreams, so a little goes a long way.  If you try to go out drinking with your friends, you'll be drunk within about 3 minutes and you'll spend the rest of the time watching everyone else get wasted while you sit there feeling kinda gross and trying not to snack on all the crap they have to eat in bars. Doesn't sound like fun to me... and I won't even mention the ritual hugging-of-ye-old-(filthy)-porcelain that typically puts the final touch on the 21st birthday. :)

A couple of final notes: NEVER drive after consuming any drinks, no matter how little. I know the temptation is do the traditional drunken night of partying, but consider how much you've gone through to get to where you are now (or where you'll be by August), and put your health first.  I'm sure your friends would want to be supportive, and will help you figure out a fun way to celebrate without that particular excess.  Just think of how great you'll feel the next morning compared to the "traditional" folks!!

Well go out with your friends if you want but you be the designated driver and don't drink. Get a water with lime and an umbrella in it and enjoy the company. Being the sober one with a bunch of drunks makes you realize how obnoxious they are.   Wait until your weight loss is complete before having a drink.  I was very near goal when i went to a wedding and had to drink a toast. I got a wine spritzer and had only a couple of swallows.  Worked ok.  should have gotten just a third of a  glass of wine and watered it down.     Happy birthday.   diane s

Drinking after WLS is never a good idea.  Your liver is working extra hard and adding alcohol to an already stressed liver is not a great idea. Search "transfer addiction" to see how many WLS vets have become alcoholics.  Search "weight gain from drinking alcohol" to see how many WLS peeps have regain most or all of their weight back. 

If getting drunk for your 21st birthday is REALLY important, then maybe you were not ready fro surgery.  There will be hundreds of "traditions" that will have to be changed in order for you to be healthy.  What about "traditional birthday cake", or "traditional 4th of July BBQ", or "traditional Christmas cookies", or "traditional Halloween candy"?  See where I'm going with this?  You made the choice to have your innards rearranged in order to lose weight.  You are responsible for making the right choices so that you will be successful.  The surgery is only a tool in your tool box.  You have to be compliant.  There is a consequence for every choice you make... good or bad.

You are an adult and the choice is ultimately yours to make.  You can still go out and celebrate with your friends without alcohol.  If you must, you could have one glass of wine and stop.  Your friends will understand.  Now is the time to take care of yourself and not worry about what others may think.

I have been on these boards for a long time and have seen many people come back and post about becoming alcoholics.  I have also seen folks regain most or all of their weight back because they drink regularly.  Then there are those who develop serious liver problems and die from liver disease.  It's a risk I would not take.

Carbonation doesn't stretch your sleeve, you might feel uncomfortable drinking it if you haven't had any lately. My Dr said to let the bottle sit for a bit so it can get a little flat.

As far as drinking, not a good idea, mostly because of the additional strain on your liver during weight loss mode., & yes you will get drunk fast., & likely stop your weight loss.

I can understand wanting to make your 21st birthday memorable, so why not plan something different? Sure you can be like everybody else, & have the same drunk binge that everyone, well not everyone, has at their 21st birthday or you can do something different, something special, something you & your friends will remember years from now.

 There are gonna be plenty of traditions that you'll have to do differently from now on.

When I turned 21, my friends and I bough a case of Mt Dew and stayed up until 3am playing Mario Kart. Cost us $5 for the soda and I can actually remember it. :)

Why not go 21st Birthday Sky diving? or some other adventure and NSV that you can now do because you lost weight?

My 21st birthday is this August!  By then I'll be five months post op.  I've never really drank before because I was waiting until it was legal.  I know carbonation can stretch my sleeve and that I will probably get drunk quicker if I do drink.  Is alcohol completely off limits for me then?  Would my sleeve be able to handle it by August?  Will be kinda bummed if I can't do the traditional 21st birthday getting drunk with friends thing and miss out on that experience because of my sleeve. 

sure,go ahead,as soon as you are ready for the weight loss to stop and the regain to begin. 

The juice isn't worth the squeeze. Ever been hungover? It sucks. 

There are so many reasons not to drink. Everyone gave you good advice. There are so many fun things to do beyond getting hammered.

Spelling edit

No, carbonation can't stretch your sleeve.

Yes, your tolerance for alcohol will be lower after surgery. You will probably get drunk quickly.

Nobody is physically stopping you from drinking, so no, it's not technically "off-limits."

Your sleeve could handle it just as well as it could handle any other liquid.

Will you be bummed? All depends on you. If you can't have a good time with alcohol, that's your problem to address.

Will you miss an experience? Depends. On one hand, you can get trashed, feel awful, risk alcohol poisoning, and consume a huge amount of liquid calories and carbs. On the other hand, you'll avoid the empty calories, not sabotage your weight loss, not be sick, and not risk any other things that could happen if you were to drin****il you black out.