Question:
Alcohol Abuse

Since my surgery I have noticed that I have become a heavy drinker. It really hasn't effected my weightloss so far. I am just wondering if there is anyone out there that has gone through the same thing and want any advice that may be offered. Thanks!    — posprudence (posted on November 9, 2007)


November 9, 2007
Yes, I have. She drank so much she passed out face down in her pillow and died. She left two kids and a husband. Please get this under control before it is too late.
   — Carlyn M.

November 9, 2007
Hi Cassandra, I haven't experienced this myself, but based upon other posts I have seen, if we aren't careful, we can substitute another addiction for our food addiction. As has been said so often before, they operated on our stomachs, not on our heads. Many, if not most, of us, require therapy after our WLS to deal with our struggles. I urge you to reach out and get this help. You can start with the therapist who did your psych eval and get guidance from him/her. Please do!
   — Jasmine130

November 9, 2007
It may not yet have affected your weight loss, but there is the concern that your are fikking up on the alcohol and not eating what you should be and therefore nor getting your necessary nutrients. Did you drink before the surgery on a regular basis?Because another concern is that I wonder if you have replaced your reasons for overeating with alcohol instead of dealing with them and finding more reasonable and productive ways. I would suggest that you contact the psychologist you saw for your preop eval ASAP to discuss your alcohol abuse and explore possible reasons for this! Good luck, and please keep me posted if you'd like to talk. My e-mail is [email protected].
   — obeseforever

November 9, 2007
It's called Cross-Addiction. Subsituting alcohol (sex, shopping, exercise, etc.) for your loss of using food to cope, deal with stressors in your life. Me, personally no. My very good friend is a full fledge alcoholic and it's scary to see her in action. Truly. You need to get help (mental-therapy-therapist-AA) to deal with the underlying issues of why you drink and/or in the past ate. You have to get to the root of your addiction before you can fix it. Please seek help. I see my friend fading away to a former shell of herself (two kids, husband and is cheating and it's just....NOT GOOD). Good luck and my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
   — jammerz

November 9, 2007
I agree with the other posts, and want to add that you made a courageous decision to undergo WLS, presumably for your health, and now you are killing your liver. We just spent six months living at a transplant hospital, and trust me, you do not want to lose your liver. WLS doesn't even compare to what we experienced and what many other transplant patients experience. I thank God every day for my son's transplant and that he made it through.
   — Carlast

November 10, 2007
drinking is a big no no. Your liver processes it quicker now and cant handle the overload of toxins. Someone I knew died from this after wls. You need to get a handle on this quickly. You have already went through alot to get healthy don't sabotage it with drinking. Good luck and good health
   — JohnK334

November 10, 2007
My daughter and I both had WLS and have both experienced the problem with alcohol. Once you start drinking you don't seem to have the ability to stop until you pass out. I have tried all types of different types of alcohol, beer, mixed drinks, wine, and they all have the same effect. I never had this problem before the surgery. I used to be able to have a couple and the switch to soda, but not now. The only solution seems to be not to drink. Good luck.
   — rose2rose

November 10, 2007
A few things to keep in mind as you decide how, and to what extent (if any), you can drink alcohol. First, after RNY we metabolize alcohol differently. We do tend to get drunk much more quickly (it is not broken down as easily before entering the intestine and there is less food in our pouches to absorb it). Many of us do tend to get drunk much faster on much less alcohol, but many of us also feel that we sober up more quickly (not that this has ever really been tested). Secondly, the rates of true "cross-addiction" are minimal. However, you need to appreciate that you were likely using food for some sort of emotional or comfort factor before, and you can get a similar release from alcohol. This can cause lots of problems. Whether or not your alcohol consumption slows down your weight loss is really irrelevant if your use of alcohol is interferring in your relationships, causing you to feel uneasy, or getting you into situations that are either dangerous (like drunk driving) or stupid (like drunk driving). Listen, post-operative life has lots of golden moments, but there is also (for many of us) a daily grind of being conscious of our eating and aware of our food demons-- alcohol can be particularly tempting (particularly if we content oursevles by only drinking zero carb liquors or low-carb beers) to ease us through these stresses while providing something of interest to our palates. Given that you must be worried about your drinking, think about talking to a professional who might be able to help you assess your alcohol use and figure out ways you might be able to reign it in.
   — SteveColarossi

November 10, 2007
As a Support Group Leader, I realized that I had a couple of people in my group that where starting to drink quite heavily. I bought the subject of "Trading Addictions" out openly in Support Goup and I am glad to say that the 2 that I knew of has quit drinking completely. One has openly said in Group that I was the one that made her realize what she was doing. Don't go down that slippery trail. I am a recovering Alcoholic of 15 years and quit long before surgery, so know that lifestyle and how easy it is to slip into. Just stop and think. If you are asking about it in this Forum, it says that you are conserned. Think hard about it. - Judy
   — jk_harris

November 11, 2007
I agree with most of the answers you have been given. I stopped drinking alcohol because i either got smashed on one or sometimes I could have 7 and nothing would happen. My surgeon said that some people totally bypass the absorption of alcohol. But the calories were killin me so I gave it up all together plus it not good to substitute one addiction for another. I hope all goes well for you....
   — Diva4Him

November 13, 2007
Stop now! It will become more of a "compulsion" than an addiction. You will not be able to control yourself. Please, I know - it's absolutely nothing like when you drank before the surgery. Please stop now before you can become dependant on it to the point that you can't stop!
   — jengrz

November 23, 2007
Prior to my RNY in 2000 I wasn't much of a drinker. At about 6 months post op I started experimenting with alcohol. I found I got a buzz quickly and just as quickly lost it. I played around with it more and more and within 3.5 years I was a full fledged alcohol dependent alcoholic. I could not go more that a couple hours without alcohol in my system before withdrawal symptoms (tremors, nausea etc.) would kick in. My liver was suffering and my kidneys started failing and yet I couldn't quit. I'm happy to say that I found a way back out through AA. I've been sober over 3 years now. I wasn't aware of cross addiction when all this started but I am well versed in it now and whenever I tell my story I include my weightloss surgery and addiction transfer. I also caution new post ops to use caution regarding alcohol. I hope my experiences can perhaps prevent others from falling unwittingly into the same trouble. Had I known then what I know now I'd like to think I wouldn't have even started drinking but of course there is no way to know that for sure. If you'd like to talk about this further offline please feel free to drop me an e-mail.
   — Kellye C.




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