krster

ahhhhh...just goes to show how different cultures are. Drinking during business hours (including lunchtime) would be unheard of when I was still working, let alone within the confines of the office walls.
I may need to consider relocating to Europe so I can live amongst "my people" ?

There are a few controversial topics that get some strong (and not-so-strong) opinions/responses on this forum. Alcohol consumption is one of them.
With that said, I am a maintainer and a regular drinker.
Aside: I have mixed feelings about saying this even as I type this, as I don't want to inadvertently influence someone to drink if they are of the type who may spiral. I often drop hints about my drinking habits in more light-hearted threads (i.e., the food thread or the clothes thread), but in threads specifically asking about alcohol by those in the early stages, I have pause. But, we are all adults here and can make our own choices, so here goes:
Prior to WLS, I didn't drink regularly, but if/when I did, I drank ALOT. Think sloppy drunk. It was always at parties or nights out, and never at home (if we hosted parties, I'd drink, but not get drunk cuz I mean, I had hosting responsibilities after all, LOL).
During weight loss phase, I must have drank maybe 5-6 times the entire time. And it was very little, less than 1/4 of a single serving, if that. The first time I drank after surgery was 3 weeks post op. I had 2 sips of red wine at a party, and it was weird...I remember feeling the liquid in my stomach and the warmth of it travel through my intestines and I got surprisingly tipsy for so little that I drank. The second time I had a drink was 3-4 sips of a soju-sake concoction around 1-2 months post op and I had the most horrible dumping experience soon after. Like laying on the bathroom floor horrible. It was the sugar in it. The handful of times I drank after that (during weight loss phase) I stuck to gin/vodka sodas & dry red wine. I was definitely affected with just a few sips, and the effects wore off pretty quickly.
Now, lets talk maintenance. Freed from having to stay under a self-imposed calorie limit, I drank more. I drank more often than I did pre-op, but less overall, even including my occasional pre-op benders. I no longer only got to sloppy level when I drank, but to just a good buzz. And again, only when I was out and about. I'd say I had maybe 1-3 drinks a week. I still got buzzed relatively quickly (less than one full drink), and the effects did not last long (less than an hour). There were maybe 4-5 times I got pretty trashed during this time (i'm guessing on like 5-6 drinks), all while on some vacation or other, and once at a wedding.
Then came lockdown in March last year. I was about 1.5 years out when Covid reared its ugly head, and just under a year into maintenance. My drinking increased exponentially over a couple months. These days, I drink at least one drink a day (usually two, occasionally much more, on those nights we have an extended dinner seating time, or when it was patio season last summer).
Now according to the literature I have read, based on volume alone, I am an alcoholic. Go figure. Am I concerned? Honestly nowadays, not really. I did contemplate it in the beginning, especially cuz Mr would keep bringing up how my drinking has increased (in a joking way mostly...but he should talk, he drinks every day too. Almost always has...his drinking also increased with Covid. Granted, he has more mass than I do and has the metabolism of a hummingbird).
It's been almost a year of this daily drinking now, and while I believe I could benefit from cutting down, I don't see it as an issue at the moment in terms of any decrease in quality of life or my own safety or the safety of those around me (but I suppose this is what anyone who drinks would say). We'll see.
Back in the summer we agreed that each person in the house can call a "dry day" at any point and everyone must abide to no drinking that day. Though to date, no one has called it. That probably speaks to the mentality we got going on here, lol. I did a couple "dry weeks" on my own accord months ago, just to prove to Mr. & myself I didn't have a problem...these weeks went by uneventfully, but I'm not sure if it really proved anything.
Very long story short, while I'm not advocating nor discouraging drinking either way to anyone, as with anything else in life, the hope is that you can be self-aware enough to know what YOUR acceptable limits are and try to stay within them.
Sorry this was so long.
Good Luck ❤️
P.S. In case you were wondering, I have pretty much maintained my weight (115 lbs +/- 5lbs) this entire time. Last year I reached my acceptable upper limit (120 lbs for more than 3-4 days in a row) twice and then switched gears to get back to 115. First time took me 3-4 weeks, second time took me 3-4 months (granted, I didn't try very hard). Today I am actually 6 lbs under my "normal", BUT I'm in transition at the moment as I've had zero exercise for about a month due to injury and i'm trying to offset that with a reduction in calories...and yeah, I haven't found the right level yet...so this is temporary, as far as I'm concerned. BUT I'm still drinking, lol, am just having less dessert ?
P.P.S. I also smoke. But that's a whole other topic...

I didn't tell anyone other than my husband. I just didn't want to deal with judgment, gossip, etc, and I definitely didn't need people giving me advice.
I haven't been in my office in over a year due to Covid, and look forward to surprising everyone someday! I contemplated cutting and coloring my hair to really freak them out! LOL!!
I did tell my mom about my PS, which was more of a test than anything, to see if she tells anyone. She's horrible with keeping secrets! I don't care if word of my PS gets out, b/c it's pretty obvious to anyone that sees me in a bikini anyway. I'll be curious to see how long it takes her to tell my secret though! LOL!!

I can relate. I'd be fine to go the rest of my life without another well-meaning, judgemental, rude, and naive comment. I've told my mom, mother-in-law, husband, and two friends. All have been incredibly supportive except for one of my friends. A year ago when I mentioned I was thinking about surgery she said I was "Just bored" and looking for something to do. That really hurt and I haven't talked with her about it since. I don't plan to tell anyone else. There can be some negative reactions. We just have to choose wisely if we do tell, and not let bummer opinions slow our momentum.

You are being judgemental. Alcohol is just empty calories, to you, but why do you think there is anything wrong with someone enjoying some good wine with dinner, or beer while watching a game with friends, or savoring a well made cocktail?
As to the OP - my experience is similar to @ms.sss. I drank rarely during my WLS phase. I didn't want to add the empty calories and slow down my weight loss. Once I got near goal I added alcohol back in. Now at 2.5 years out my alcohol consumption is pretty similar to pre WLS. Alcohol definitely hits me harder and faster, but is nothing unmanageable. But I attribute that more to being 1/2 the weight I was pre WLS then anything specific to my sleeve.