Alcoholism After Gastric Bypass

 

Intervention - Julie - Alcoholism After Weight Loss Surgery - Gastric Bypass

On last night's Intervention -- Julie.

 

A gorgeous 40 year old mother of two, who happens to to be about seven to eight years post gastric bypass postop.  She also, happens to have a little big problem in her smaller body.

"Julie often turned to food and alcohol to find comfort in tough times. She had gastric bypass surgery when her weight ballooned, but now she spends her son's child support money."

On alcohol, a lot of alcohol.  You see...

First thing you must note, Julie started drinking at six months post surgery.  

This is extraordinarily dangerous.  Your surgeon told you to be careful for a reason.

Alcohol + early gastric bypass = possible brain damage and Wernicke's encephalopathy.   Wernicke's can occur even without the aid of drinking heavily, do not help it along.

Gastric bypass triggers impaired vitamin intake in the best of situations, and pairing this with alcohol abuse can increase the risks of things like thiamine or Vitamin B1 deficiency.  Typical people have a hard enough time metabolizing, removing nutrient intake and adding alcohol is a very bad idea.  Don't do it.  Don't take advice from internet peoples, but don't do it.

 

Also note that alcohol really messes you UP post op -

 If you aren't one of the gastric-ally enhanced like your super enhanced *sarcasm* blogger here, let me explain something to you:  

• Diet coke and rum, and I'm on stage.  
• A few sips of a martini and I'm holding walls.  
• I'm pregnant in one half-glass of wine.  

Alcohol is a different beast with a short gut.  Your mileage may and should and will vary, but for most of us, alcohol hits our systems FAST, HARD and feels like it leaves just as quick, even if it doesn't - - which can lead "us" to drink more.  

It can be a sick cycle, and the longer I live with my own super enhanced system, the more I realize how much it's all quite interconnected.  (Hello, carbohydrates, let's get ****faced!)  I'm not an expert in any way, I just live with i****ch others deal -- and read about it daily.  (And, damn it if my opinions aren't changing.)

• Gastric Bypass Lowers Alcohol Tolerance 
• Gastric Bypass Increases Risk of New Onset Alcohol Abuse
• After Gastric Bypass, Women Battle Alcoholism

I'm not really blogging about Julie here, you see.  I feel like I/we can't judge.  Because, you know what, she is any one of us.  It would not take much to jump on that slip and slide of transfer addictionfor any of us, and who are we to judge that?  (As I sat with my heavily buttered toast and ATE FOOD during this episode, right?)  

Transfer addiction can hit ANY OF US if we aren't dealing with our triggers...

...To over eat, drink, compulsively shop, gamble, ludicrous hobbies that suck up ALL time and money,  taking off to do stupid **** (Yes, I Am Talking About You, CUT IT OUT, what you're doing is totally destructive though you don't see it, and you probably won't see this anyway...) overusing the internet *coughIknow,* obsessions, sex addictions, etc...so forth, so on and yadda yadda yadda, this list, really has NO END...  And, we all know someone who has a problem.  And, yeah.  

My Name Is Beth And I Am Addicted To Caffeine, Simple Carbohydrates And Online Gratification Via Instant Results Via ADHD Brain With A Side Order of Seizure Disorder.

Also:  who's to say what addictions and compulsions are truly destructive vs. not?  I mean?  Sure, I use the net too much, but... what if I was knitting so much that my house was full of yarn?    There are things to consider here.  Also: addicts will rationalize everything to make their addictions seem okay for THEM.  *beam*  Am I NOT right?Any of us who ever used food to deal with emotional reasons or anxiety is at risk to transfer to something else, or continually cycle back to heavily buttered carbs.  We substitute WHAT-EVER we can to get the same effect in our BRAINS.  It's just a cycle of fail until we can fix what's broken to begin with!  If you have ever said, "As soon as I lose the weight, things will be better -" that's a sign that they won't.  Start working on it yesterday.

Also - I must mention it.  I notice the chatter - "OMG HOW MUCH WEIGHTED DID SHE GAINED?!"

The woman was on Intervention because she's drinking herself to death.  Her weight regain is of zero importance.  Priorities:  #1 - Live.  #2 - Stay Alive.

At the close of Intervention last night, we were told that Julie is attending AA and was sober as of September.  I wish her the very, very best.  

Are you out there, Julie?  

PS.  The realization that the individuals on these shows WATCH themselves on TV and how does THAT feel?  *thud*

• Increased Alcoholism Rates Seen in Gastric Bypass Patients (meltingmama.net)
• Tis The Season To Transfer Your Addiction - WLS and Alcoholism (meltingmama.net)
• My 600 Pound Life - Henry (meltingmama.net)

Ok..that was heavy! I didn'****ch it (I spend my time on the internet haha) but thanks for the "whys" of not drinking soon after surgery.  The last year or so after my hysterectomy, I would get tipsy of just 1 glass of wine..idk why... so I know that I will just have to refrain after surgery. And you are so right...I could totally see transferring my food/carb addiction to something else.  Hopefully I will have supportive enough people around me to snatch me back if I start down a destructive path.

Thanks for sharing that :)

 I honestly don't get this... I hated alcohol prior to WLS and I hate it now....

Awesome.

How about carbs?

You have to have an addictive personality before surgery to have one after! It doesn't show up when we get surgery. I didn't gamble before my RNY I don't gamble now. No cross addiction, no
new compulsions - just me. I know many have OCD or compulsions or addictions (food, duh!)
before. If you do then you will AFTER. It doesn't go away once you have it. Depression before surgery is still depression after surgery. We need to be proactive about our own health - mental and physical. If we have a problem with depression, ocd, addictions or other mental health issues before then we need to get them under control AFTER or this won't work. Every  few months someone gets on the bandwagon and talks about TRANSFER ADDICTION. Many of us DON"T have one! Some do and they need to deal with it. To broadly say we ALL are going to gamble, have too much sex or drink after surgery is bs. We do what we allow ourselves to do -
either menatlly or physically, I know many post ops with ocd and compulsion problems, Those that can't stop eating (or whatever their compulsion is) on their own. They get on a good medication that helps them, they get therapy from someone who knows where they're coming from. We don't get Alcoholism from weight loss surgery, the genetic makeup or mental issue had to be there prior ot surgery to become an issue after. You won't love alcohol now that you're a post op despite what you read. You can go on being a compliant postie and NOT drink and you're still in the norm.

 What about them? I eat them.. I don't believe in the carbs are the devil way of thinking. I also workout a lot so carbs are important to me. 

Well, not everyone is an addict.  Intervention is about addiction.  Severe addiction.

 And if you're able to make healthy choices.... good for you.  That's really awesome............

I do have an occasional glass of wine, and so far so good. I know what to watch out for. I do feel the effects now more strongly but less duration.

Same goes for Pot consumption after gastric bypass.. makes for sick to your stomach