Alcohol after surgery

Hey guys,

During this whole process it's been kind of annoying for me that I can't drink alcohol...but I know my health is way more important so I've given it up for now without any hesitation. The reason I say "annoying" is because i'm young (23) and I miss being able to go clubbing and drinking with my friends. It's just what us young people do! I still go to social functions as the designated driver but I would like to drink again someday, at least a bit.

I know that the earliest you can possibly drink alcohol after surgery is 3 months (well i'm sure each doctor has a different guideline but that's what mine said. some recommend that you wait a year, etc. Guess it depends how you heal and if you're ready)...

I know there are transfer addictions etc (I'm educated about them but not TOO worried, I'm not a heavy drinker just socially sometimes) and I know that alcohol is just empty calories etc, but I would like to know about everyone elses experience with alcohol post surgery.

I plan on following my doctors orders to a "t" nutritionally, but I would hope that one day i am able to have a little bit to drink at the cottage or go out with my friends for drinks like I used to.

I guess my question is, IF you decided to re-introduce alcohol into your life after surgery, how long did you wait and what did you drink? and how is your tolerance now?

Thanks guys :)

I waited until approx 9 months post op. I was never a heavy drinker in the past. I drank bourbon. It hit me fast & hard, then seemed to pass quickly. People around me told me it didn't pass as quickly as I believed. In other words, I felt fine, but wasn't. I decided I liked alcohol a little too much post op and have since quit. The bottom line, alcohol post op is different from pre op. Be careful.

 I waited three month. I have a glass of wine once a week or so. I may not be the best role model with all things wls related but I don't feel the need to worry that it is going to be a transfer addiction. I get pretty tipsy off one glass of wine but the feeling goes away after 15 min or so. I can't drink hard liquor anymore. It makes me sick.

I dump.

I dump like CRAZY on ****tails.

4 oz of wine and I'm on the floor

Ten minutes later the buzz is gone

If I like how it feels to be pleasantly warm with that lovely glow that a glass of wine used to give me, it won't happen. I get sloshed instantly, sober quickly, no real enjoyment.

I figure if I'm going to dump, I'll have chocolate cake. If I want the calories I'll eat chocolate cake. If I don't want to dump, and don't want a boatload of empty calories, then I'll skip the alcohol and I'll skip the cake.

The problem is that people who are good with alcohol pre-op CAN get addicted VERY quickly and easily post-op .... for some people it takes only one drink before the trigger is pulled, and it can destroy you.

I'd say Just Say No... it really isn't worth it. Not the calories, not the instant-drunk that doesn't last, and certainly not the dumping (wine doesn't make me dump, and I do occassionally have a 4 oz glass of wine)

Being that you are 23 and you have had prior experience drinking socially it will be a huge change as far as what your body can handle now compared to prior to surgery. I had my surgery in 2006 and still cannot handle alcohol. Prior to surgery I could have a couple drinks and feel fine, now one drink I'm really buzzed and if I manage to attempt a 2nd I'm completely over the top DRUNK! . For me at first I believe it did become an addiction, I was never much of a drinker but I enjoyed the social aspect of things after surgery and I was part of the "group" that got invited out unlike prior to my surgery when I didn't have much of a social life.  Luckily I caught on to things, later than I should have (had about 9 months of random social parties) but alcohol is now a very very rare thing for me. Also never never drive yourself, DUI's can come way too easy post op because it may seem to leave your system quickly (meaning you feel fine) but your blood alcohol level stays up there.

For me at times it felt like it left fairly quick, while other times I felt the affect the next morning.  I would really think long and hard before you attempt socially drinking, and also make sure your friends know you cannot handle alcohol due to the surgery otherwise they will think you've fallen off the rocker. 

 
Go to page 5.  See the thread  "Rum and other liquors".

Some people on here were very helpful and someone even posted a link. 

I know how you feel.  I miss drinking socially, but have decided to wait because it seems too dangerous at this point and not worth the risk. 

thank you everyone for all of your input! it seems like everyone sort of has a different experience with alcohol after surgery. i appreciate all of your advice very much!

i will keep researching this topic pre and post surgery, and when i feel comfortable and able, i may try drinking a small bit to see if i can handle it. at least i will then have my own experience that i can share with others, whether it be good or bad.

it is a lot to think about!

 i was 24 at surgery and waited 2 months til my 25th birthday (my surgeon also says 3 months) and had a few sips of vodka w/water and a splash of cranberry. i just wasn't feeling it. it was then a while before i had another drink, but now i'm back to social drinking. i don't get sloshed from 2 drinks  (usually) but my tolerance is definitely lower. i used to drink upwards of 10 drinks on a night out. this weekend i was out from 9pm til about 4am and didn't get wasted but had a decent buzz on 4 drinks and a shot, but this was a looooong period of time obviously. i also switched off a drink with a diet coke or water (it was a bar crawl til 1, then i met up with another friend), so 1 bar i would have a vodka cranberry the next a non-alcoholic beverage. i usually try and split it up this way to rehydrate. a better drink choice if you can handle diet soda is three olives flavored vodka (i do cherry) with diet coke. only 2 carbs in the vodka and obviously cranberry juice is loaded with sugar but flavored vodkas are hard to find in nyc dive bars! 

also, make sure you check out the wls in your 20s board! 

hmmm thanks for the advice! i was actually trying to think about what i would even drink if i did go to a bar....and i didn't even know that board existed...lol i bet ill be up reading posts all night now.

unfortunately it doesn't get a ton of posts and it seems to come and go in waves

www.obesityhelp.com/forums/wls_in_your_20s/