alcohol & RNY

i'm rarely active on here but wanted to share my story so that maybe someone else will learn. I had RnY in Janaury 2010.   I was a non drinker for well over 10 years.  about 8 months ago i started drinking...1/2 glass of wine here and there.  It took no time at all for me to become a full blown alcoholic.  I had no limits whatsoever.  Wrapped my car around a telephone pole and of course all the after math of that - cops, fleeing the scene, $15K worth of damage to my car (brand new).  Skipped my Dr followups and labs the entire time.  Never did a night go by that I was not completely intoxicated.  Well, last week I went to Dr to get my labs  - liver was not good news.  The platelet count was at 60.  Normal is 140-400.  This damage is irreversible.  More tests to come. 

I knew I was playing with fire, but I didn't want to stop.  I read somewhere that a normal person absorbs about 25% of the alcohol of their drink where as we absorb about 85%.  Just because I got drunk faster didn't mean I drank less.  I could out drink just about anyone in any bar and didn't mind proving it. 

I was also gaining weight in leaps and bounds.  I have now been sober for 5 days and I am down 5 lbs!  I can do this sobriety thing, but its not what I want to do. 

If you don't drink, don't start.  If you do, reconsider. 

 I can do this sobriety thing, but its not what I want to do.

There is a biological and a psychological component to your story.  The psychological rings of a Transfer Addiction.  You can even search the boards here for help on that.

As a home brewer and alcohol drinker myself, I was fascinated by the effects alcohol has on bypass patients there are two good studies on the issue (especially the NIH study)

http://www.journalacs.org/article/S1072-7515(10)01090-2/abst ract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1874483/

The articles get technical, but here are some key points:

"In some of the bypass subjects, the BAC-time profiles ­during the first 60 min post-drinking resembled those seen when ethanol was given intravenously"  -- Key point, take a drink and your almost mainlining

"Post-RYGB patients have much higher peak BAC after ingesting alcohol and require more time to become sober."  --   Because non-bypass patients digest alcohol more slowly, the body is fighting to become sober at the same time it is getting drunk leading to a lower maximum BAC and less time to reach sobriety.  The bypass and non-bypass patient move toward sobriety at the same rate, the bypass patient just starts out "more drunk"

"BAC is back-calculated from the concentration at the time of blood sampling to an earlier time, such as that of a traffic accident. In retrograde calculations of this kind, factors influencing the rate and extent of absorption of alcohol are important to consider" -- Key point, if you have a legal situation involving intoxication (breathalyzer or blood test) the determination of how drunk you were at the time of the incident may not be valid.

thanks for all the great links and info. 

fortunately my legal stuff is cleared up, my car is fixed (took over 2 months!)  and my wounds have healed

Thanks, Emily for the heads-up.  I was drinking pretty heavily pre surgery, and quit at the start of pre-op diet.  I think I was pretty much on the road to alcoholism.  I bet with the RNY, if I started drinking again, it would be a much shorter road.  Best not even test the theory.

Personal experiences are so much more meaningful than that section in the clinic's handbook. 

Congratulations on your 5 days of sobriety!

~Barbara

Glad you found benefit in my experience.   Stay strong and good luck Barbara.

I totally agree!  I am almost 10 years post op (October 16) and I spent the greater part of that time, after about the third year, drunk!  At this point in time, I am sober, thank goodness, but anybody who has not started drinking DO NOT DO IT!  I wish I could go back and never pick up a drink again.  I only drank socially, occasionally, prior to surgery and didn't understand how I let it get a hold of me like it did.  Wine was my poison too, I could leave everything else alone.  I feel good now, been sober for almost a month and hopefully can stay that way this time.  I went through lots of legal troubles too, two DUIs, I actually burned my arm very  severely one night in a drunken stupor and will always have a horrible scar to remind me.  As far as my weight, I had gained back up to over 170 pounds and am now back to about 148 again.  Size 6, so I am happy with that.  Have two divorces under my belt post op, or will come Tuesday morning, the latest one will be final then. 

But anyway, in short, Alcohol and WLS do not mix under any cir****tances !

Angie

Hi Angie.  I know this sounds stupid but what I am most angry about is that i only got 8 months before I destroyed my liver to force me out of drinking.  I know that sounds stupid but I wasn't done yet!  I too have scars that I will live with forever from my wreck.  Congratulations on your sobriety and the weight loss!  I hope to get back down like you!

Emily, I haven't had any blood work done in about two or three years, but at that time, my liver functions were still good, so I am hoping that will still be true the next time I have blood work done, which I need to go soon.  Not saying I don't miss it, but feeling good and in control of myself again feels good.  I lost perfectly good jobs over it, a few of them.  One I just got up and walked out one day because I wanted to drink and went and got drunk and never went back.  That is embarrassing to admit.  One I got fired from for drinking on the job, this was in a law office!  I am back working in a law office again fortunately.  I thought my reputation would have gotten around, but I guess not, so I was able to find another job in the legal field and don't want to screw it up again.

We can do this.  If you need to talk, let me know, I was there a lot longer than you were, so I have plenty of experience.  Plus, I have had my WLS a lot longer too...so...if you need me, I am here.

thanks angie, it will be nice having a kindred spirit that understands. 

 I was addicted to food as a youngster, then alcohol part of my adult.  I have been sober 31 years and food became an important aspect of my life once again, leaving me morbidly obese.  Had the surgery in July and started attending Overeaters Anonymous meetings.  Like others have said, "They operated on our stomachs, not our brains."  I still go to AA meetings after all these years.  If you think you may have a drinking problem, most likely you do. Good luck to all !!!