when can u drink alcohol

well, personally, i am 5 months out, and since about 3 months out ive been drinking on occasion. i was drinking paralyzers, sooooo yummy, but soooooo high in calories! i quit losing weight, so ive stopped. but once since i stopped the paralyzers i drank vodka and watered down orange juice. much less calories. as far as how it effects me, well its strange, really strange, its not much different then before surg. i know im definatly not the norm on this. i also make sure to avoid carbonation. but i have to admit, i did find myself enjoying it more then before, and wanting it more then berfore, kinda scared myself, now im going to make sure i only do it once a month or so. really gotta self monitor!

niki

My plan does not prohibit it but has very strong warnings concerning drinking alcohol. Cross addiction is one serious issue. The other issue is that we metabolize it differently and much more quickly so it can "go to our heads" much faster. I can attest to that from personal experience. I had sips of friends' drinks about 3 months out and felt dizzy after. I tried about half a glass of wine at about 6 months out and definitely  felt the buzz. Looks like i will not be imbibing for some time to come.

Dr. Barker says that technically you can drink the day after surgery but I waited 6 months.  Not sure if it is the bmi still being high or that I cant drink it fast enough.  But I have been unable to even catch a buzz.  That is close to my only "issue" with the surgery.  Would definately do it all over again but I do miss occasionally being able to blame it on the alcohol.

For my program they say that you shouldn't drink the first year after surgery.  They also say that this is because the alcohol in you system can impede and slow down your full healing and recovery.

From everything I've heard, generally, we also need to be carful as it hits us differently and there is a risk of cross-addiction happening.  From what I've read, the alcohol buzz hits you MUCH faster, within 1/2 glass of wine people can be totally drunk but then within a few hours this has worn off completely.

The other thing to consider is how many calories are in what you're drinking.  Even in the early stages, when we're mal-absorbing, we should still be conscious of that and keep track.

Don't rush your body.   I know that, for me, I made this decision so that I could be more healthy and a healthy lifestyle is more than just losing weight.

Best of Luck!

 

My surgeon recommended waiting a year. I waited a year and then just drank wine (2 glass max) I get super tipsy by the 2nd sip. So if I do drink outside the home I make sure I start early in the evening. It takes about 20 minutes to sober up to the point that I no longer feel tipsy though I am sure the alcohol is still in my system.

I recently tried a martini (flavored but not sweet) and I was able to drink two with no issues.