Question:
Has anyone else developed a problem with alcohol after surgery?
I'm taking a big risk by posting this but I would really like to hear if anyone else has had a problem with switching addictions as well. I'm two and a half years post-op and about six months after surgery I started drinking. It became pretty obvious that I was substiting alcohol for food. I quit recently and will have 60 days of sobriety tomorrow. Is there anyone else who has dealt with this issue? I'd love to hear from you. — Carolyn G. (posted on January 26, 2003)
January 26, 2003
I haven't (my obsession/addiction has becoming cleaning to the point of
driving my family crazy) BUT, I wanted to congratulate you on 60 days of
sobriety!!! Congrats and good luck!
— [Deactivated Member]
January 26, 2003
There have been quite a few people here who have had that problem. I hope
they have the courage to admit it and can give you some suggestions.
Thankfully I really don't care for booze so this is one problem (in life)
that I've bypassed. Thankfully. Good luck to you.
— Danmark
January 27, 2003
Carolyn, this happened to my girlfriend. For her is was Cociane &
alcohol & sex. She was out of control. She subsituted one for the
other for about 1 1/2 years. I ended my friendship with her b/c of it. We
are now friends again, she got in under control. But, it took her a few
years.
— heathercross
January 27, 2003
I have not had surgery yet, but have often wondered about switching
addictions and how others coped with it. Personally, I hope you never feel
like you have to hide something from this site. It seems that would be the
opposite of what this is meant for...SUPPORT. If you ever need to just
vent...do so!!! Congratulations on 60 days!
Diane
— Diane S.
January 28, 2003
Hi Carolyn! Congrats on your 60 days!! I too switched to a different
addiction. Only mine was spending money! I went shopping all the time. I
bought stuff I didn't need. ALL THE TIME! Luckily I caught it early and
talked to my psychologist before it got real out of hand. I really messed
up my checkbook. I work at a bank, so thats not a good thing. When my
staple line tore, and I was able to eat more food again, the shopping thing
stopped! I am having a revision soon, and I plan to go thru counciling
this time. Thanks for being sobrave, and Keep up the good work girl!
— Dina P.
September 20, 2003
OMG can I relate...in fact probably a little tooo well. I am a whopping 7
months post op at the end of this month and have been drinking since I was
3 months out. I feel like no one understands. After all, when I drink, I
have more energy, feel great and in the morning no hang over anymore, I
feel wonderful. Sure, I drank before WLS, but not like this. One night I
drank when I was supposed to be working....got arrested for public
intoxication over 6 beers, (when I was heavy, it was common for me to drink
12 or so). I lost my job, I have court next week. I am struggling. I
went to AA and although I found GOD (he was not lost, I was) it hasn't
helped. The reason is because this is not a daily compulsion for
me..neither was my eating. But boy howdy could I pack away the food and
now that that is gone...how do I cope? Not only that...Me...where has she
gone? Sure this chick in the mirror is beautiful...but who the heck is
she? She terrifies me. Smart, yes, but now so terribly vulnerable...now
so terribly visible. People never came to me and pronounced their
judgements to my face..now they do. It's like everyone is looking at my
body and forgot that there is a person in there. Sure, all these great
guys are hitting on me..but so are the predators that never did before. My
acquantainces are jealous of me..my enemies are more critical and vocal and
my friends feel threatened of my size 8 jeans. I can be picked up. My
capacity for alcohol has gone down. AA misses the mark for me though. I
don't have daily, or weekly cravings, which make it harder for me to stop,
because when a situation arises that would make me pack the children in the
car and head down to the grocery store for a loaf of french bread and a
snickers...it blind sides me.Self defeat? I know all about it. I am one
terrified skinny fat person. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. I
would get skinny, meet the man of my dreams, get the promotion, enjoy the
friendship of others and go on about my business. WLS gave me the body I
never had, the attention I never wanted and the addiction that no one..save
other WLS patients will understand. I always felt so secure with the
fat...afterall, no one would want to rape me let alone be able to move my
bulk...90lbs down and sure they could...I only weigh 152lbs. I sabotage
the WLS like I have sabotaged my whole life...but I am one of those huge
adverse reactions...it keeps coming off no matter how many meals I make of
potatoe chips, no matter how much I don't exercise and no matter how much I
pray to be fat again. Oh and then there is the GOD thing. He isn't
calling me anymore...he is screaming at me...who is this woman who goes to
church, believes in celibacy and spends all her free time on her knees? I
am desperately reinventing me..hoping to find out who I will be when this
weight loss ends..praying with all my might and yet totally unable to
resist the lure of alcohol. I do it alone at home with my keys safely
stashed and the phone off the hook and no one knows. I clean house..I
finally have the energy to move again. But it makes me loose more weight.
I thought I wanted this..but did I really? I have a new job and the first
thing I will be doing is getting with the psych dept. of the Bariatric
Surgeon here...it is my only hope. Somedays I actually look in the mirror
and see myself as fat...I wear a size 8. I am so confused and upset. I
thought this was the answer but now that I can't blame the fat...there are
like a host of other problems I never had to look at. Whoa! Thanx all...I
love this site and this family, but I am truly sick.. Help me if you
can...Laurie
— Laurie L.
September 20, 2003
OMG can I relate...in fact probably a little tooo well. I am a whopping 7
months post op at the end of this month and have been drinking since I was
3 months out. I feel like no one understands. After all, when I drink, I
have more energy, feel great and in the morning no hang over anymore, I
feel wonderful. Sure, I drank before WLS, but not like this. One night I
drank when I was supposed to be working....got arrested for public
intoxication over 6 beers, (when I was heavy, it was common for me to drink
12 or so). I lost my job, I have court next week. I am struggling. I
went to AA and although I found GOD (he was not lost, I was) it hasn't
helped. The reason is because this is not a daily compulsion for
me..neither was my eating. But boy howdy could I pack away the food and
now that that is gone...how do I cope? Not only that...Me...where has she
gone? Sure this chick in the mirror is beautiful...but who the heck is
she? She terrifies me. Smart, yes, but now so terribly vulnerable...now
so terribly visible. People never came to me and pronounced their
judgements to my face..now they do. It's like everyone is looking at my
body and forgot that there is a person in there. Sure, all these great
guys are hitting on me..but so are the predators that never did before. My
acquantainces are jealous of me..my enemies are more critical and vocal and
my friends feel threatened of my size 8 jeans. I can be picked up. My
capacity for alcohol has gone down. AA misses the mark for me though. I
don't have daily, or weekly cravings, which make it harder for me to stop,
because when a situation arises that would make me pack the children in the
car and head down to the grocery store for a loaf of french bread and a
snickers...it blind sides me.Self defeat? I know all about it. I am one
terrified skinny fat person. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. I
would get skinny, meet the man of my dreams, get the promotion, enjoy the
friendship of others and go on about my business. WLS gave me the body I
never had, the attention I never wanted and the addiction that no one..save
other WLS patients will understand. I always felt so secure with the
fat...afterall, no one would want to rape me let alone be able to move my
bulk...90lbs down and sure they could...I only weigh 152lbs. I sabotage
the WLS like I have sabotaged my whole life...but I am one of those huge
adverse reactions...it keeps coming off no matter how many meals I make of
potatoe chips, no matter how much I don't exercise and no matter how much I
pray to be fat again. Oh and then there is the GOD thing. He isn't
calling me anymore...he is screaming at me...who is this woman who goes to
church, believes in celibacy and spends all her free time on her knees? I
am desperately reinventing me..hoping to find out who I will be when this
weight loss ends..praying with all my might and yet totally unable to
resist the lure of alcohol. I do it alone at home with my keys safely
stashed and the phone off the hook and no one knows. I clean house..I
finally have the energy to move again. But it makes me loose more weight.
I thought I wanted this..but did I really? I have a new job and the first
thing I will be doing is getting with the psych dept. of the Bariatric
Surgeon here...it is my only hope. Somedays I actually look in the mirror
and see myself as fat...I wear a size 8. I am so confused and upset. I
thought this was the answer but now that I can't blame the fat...there are
like a host of other problems I never had to look at. Whoa! Thanx all...I
love this site and this family, but I am truly sick.. Help me if you
can...Laurie
— Laurie L.
January 26, 2009
HELP! Im just there. What did you do to help the problem? Let me know
PLEASE!!
— jmm3331975
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