I am not a alcoholic but I do love to drink wine, cognac and other adult drinks. Can you please share your experiences with me about alcoholic consumption post-op.. Thanks in advance:-) I hope this is not a deal breaker :-( lol!!

Well, the standard advice that surgeons give is to wait 1 year post-op. But i have to admit, I likes my wine... I've indulged and haven't had any difficulties. I would say the only thing I notice is if I have a week when I've had wine more often than not, my weight loss slows. So for that reason, i now only drink on special occasions, like my birthday. It's not worth it to me to sabotage my weight loss.

I would suggest you ask your surgeon what they think you should do because everyone is different. This is just my $0.02.

I drink 3-5 beers a week and I have since about 4 months post op. no problems no side effects and no problems with weight loss.

I'm 8weeks and I've had wine on three occasions. I asked my surgeon and Nutritionist prior and they said it was okay after week 5 (I know!)

I love my red wine but like the previous person stated its not worth it if you experience slow weight loss. So that's why I too keep it to just occasions. Now I will say that it did nothing for me. Pre op I heard that you get a buzz quicker and does not last very long. I got NOTHING. I keep it to one glass perhaps two only if my calories allow me for that day and I've met my protein.

Yeah.. check with your surgeon.

I enjoyed various wines, beers, Hennessey, Crown Royal as well as other "adult beverages" prior to my surgery. I was a "social" drinker and could put back about 4-5 mixed drinks or glasses of wine before feeling REALLY good... My surgery was April 16th and tried my first drink which was wine at about 8 weeks out.. It BURNED my throat and didn't sit well at all. I tried a Crown n Ginger at about 12 weeks and still... not good.. the only drink I have tried that went down okay was Ciroc and pineapple with a splash of sprite. It took me about 2 hours to drink it but at this point I can honestly say that I don't even desire alcohol anymore..

Once you are sleeved you will notice that your tastes change when it comes to drinks or food.. Some of the foods and drinks that I enjoyed prior to my surgery I don't like at all now..

Not a big deal for me personally.... My boyfriend loves it!! I'm a cheap date AND the designated driver!!! LOL

I have a bloody mary once a week.like a smaller glass.it goes good.i take my time drinking it.im 2 months out.so far thats all i can handle right now is one lol.

I've had a glass of wine occasionally since about month 8. It didn't adversely affect me then, nor does it now, but because I am thin now one glass is plenty, whereas when I was fat I could drink 2 or 3 and not feel it.

I've indulged in the drink once since being sleeved. I had a mai tai which is a fairly strong drink. Pre-sleeve I could knock back a couple of them easily, but this time one was enough. I was definitely feeling it.

At 4 Weeks out I had a glass if wine which went into another and next thing I know I had the 4th glass in my hand. Before I knew it I was dry heaving for about an hour and my husband was scared to death. He wanted to take me to the hospital. I was sick for a few days after. Not worth it at all. I was drunk as a skunk.

I would say hard liquor hits you about 3 times as fast as pre-surgery. I enjoy a nice glass of wine on occasion, but I am no longer hooked on sugar laden mixed drinks!!

For the record, the drinks are easy to tolerate....but do the math...alcohol has a lot of calories, probably best for a special occasion or during maintenance stage : )

I used to drink red wine with regularity, but after surgery, I don't really have a taste for red wine. But, I do enjoy a glass of white wine on occasion - on the weekend. I went on vacation for a week and there was plenty of white wine flowing. I can't drink as much as I used to and one glass is usually my max, sometimes two. I didn't gain any weight on vacation, but I didn't lose like I was either. This past weekend I had a watered down margarita which was very yummy but is very high in calories too. My surgeon said wait 8 weeks before drinking any alcohol. My nutritionist said to have a drink if I want to but make sure I count it in my daily calorie count. Also, you need to drink more water than usual if you drink alcohol since it is a dehydrating beverage, so that's what I do when I drink an alcoholic beverage. Everything in moderation, just like high calorie, high carb foods.

Before you drink alcohol, look up the calories. You will be surprised. I've found that knowing the calorie count makes me less likely to indulge in alcoholic drinks. Before I knew the calorie count, I was more likely to have "just one" and depending on what kind that one drink was, I could be drinking up to half my entire calorie count for the day.

I have had beer, wine and mixed drinks since being sleeved. I don't drink as fast or as much as I used to do.

In social situations, I've found that I need to specifically tell the bartender or waiter to NOT bring me a drink if someone buys a round for the table. My drinks tend to get warm before I am able to finish them if I finish them.

When I am out socially, I have a few stand bys:

• For beer, I usually get a Budweiser 55 because it is low in calories. It tastes OK.
  
• Water with a shot of cranberry juice (no alcohol), but it looks like a mixed drink
  
• Tomato juice (no alcohol)
  
• Arnold palmers (tea and lemonade mixed, no alcohol)
  
• Rum and coke (I've found that I tend to drink these slower than most drinks, especially if they are fixed strong.)
  

Things I've learned to avoid:

• margaritas (too many calories)
  
• Girly beers like Mike's Hard Lemonade, Mojitos, blueberry/lemonade drinks, etc. These start at about 220 calories and go up from there. I can drink them too fast, and about 3 of them over several hours will make me drunk enough that I want to go to bed. The Mike's berry flavored ones also give me a headache the next day even if I only had one, and I don't usually have headaches.
  
• Fancy Shots (too many ingredients that are usually high in calorie)
  

I tend to mix my drinks up. I might start with a Budweiser 55, but for my second round, I will get water with cranberry juice. It will be a couple of rounds before (if) I get another beer.

I don't drink wine when I'm out socially. I do have it at home in the evening sometimes. I've started pouring myself half a glass instead of a full glass.

Before you drink alcohol, look up the calories. You will be surprised. I've found that knowing the calorie count makes me less likely to indulge in alcoholic drinks. Before I knew the calorie count, I was more likely to have "just one" and depending on what kind that one drink was, I could be drinking up to half my entire calorie count for the day.

I have had beer, wine and mixed drinks since being sleeved. I don't drink as fast or as much as I used to do.

In social situations, I've found that I need to specifically tell the bartender or waiter to NOT bring me a drink if someone buys a round for the table. My drinks tend to get warm before I am able to finish them if I finish them.

When I am out socially, I have a few stand bys:

• For beer, I usually get a Budweiser 55 because it is low in calories. It tastes OK.
  
• Water with a shot of cranberry juice (no alcohol), but it looks like a mixed drink
  
• Tomato juice (no alcohol)
  
• Arnold palmers (tea and lemonade mixed, no alcohol)
  
• Rum and coke (I've found that I tend to drink these slower than most drinks, especially if they are fixed strong.)
  

Things I've learned to avoid:

• margaritas (too many calories)
  
• Girly beers like Mike's Hard Lemonade, Mojitos, blueberry/lemonade drinks, etc. These start at about 220 calories and go up from there. I can drink them too fast, and about 3 of them over several hours will make me drunk enough that I want to go to bed. The Mike's berry flavored ones also give me a headache the next day even if I only had one, and I don't usually have headaches.
  
• Fancy Shots (too many ingredients that are usually high in calorie)
  

I tend to mix my drinks up. I might start with a Budweiser 55, but for my second round, I will get water with cranberry juice. It will be a couple of rounds before (if) I get another beer.

I don't drink wine when I'm out socially. I do have it at home in the evening sometimes. I've started pouring myself half a glass instead of a full glass.

Just thought I'd say that this was a very well thought out and informative post.