Alcoholic

[Traceyh 1]

Thanks for the advice

[Strangefruit 179]

Are you in recovery or still drinking? If you are in recovery I would think it would not effect you having the surgery... Sorry, I do not have more to offer.. Have you talked to your doctor?

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

Tracey, I applaud your openness on this difficult topic. I don't know of any one who is an alcoholic that was sleeved, but I do have some scary tales of woe on this subject that makes me worried about you.

Years ago, a co-worker had the gastric bypass. She lost weight great, actually got pretty dang skinny. I lost track of her but during the time I was researching the sleeve, I was invited to her funeral - she was in her early 40s. I was appalled and of course assumed that it was the "dangerous" gastric bypass that killed her. No, it was the alcoholism. She died in her sleep from organ failure. In her case, she it was complicated because she was also a diabetic. Anyway, when you eat so much less, and the changes to how your body handles alcohol, it seems to become more dangerous from a health perspective. To the best of my knowledge, she was the "addiction transference" case and became alcoholic after losing her excess weight, but of course I don't really know.

Life post weight loss surgery is very wonderful (dropping a 100 pounds really makes your day!) but it is also stressful. Even if a person is abstaining, you need to really know that the stress might cause a relapse. i seldom drink, but when I do - one drink is plenty. The metabolism of alcohol seems a little different now. A small minority of people develop a new addiction to replace the way they used/abused food.

Anyway, I hope you are able to discuss this with a professional and get all the facts about the additional risks you may be incurring. Only you can know if this surgery is a good idea with that underlying condition, but I am worried for you. Best of luck, and you have my support whatever you wind up doing. In spite of my words of caution, I know as well as anyone the overwhelming need to get the extra weight off and how impossible it is without the tool of WLS.

[joe_cltnc 7]

Hi Tracy:

I'm about 2 and half years sober, meaning I dont drink any alcohol - not a drop. I will be sleeved in one week. Yes, as Cowgirl mentions above, there are cases of "transferrence" from overeating to problem drinking. I'm choosing words carefully here so as not to offend folks with the terms "food addict" and "alcoholic", but for me, that's the way I see it. Again, i am not saying that anyone here is an addict or otherwise. I happen to believe that I have a psychological compulsion to drink and once I start, I can't stop (when I was drinking). In many cases, its the same for me with food. For that reason, I believe that the are both issues/illnesses, however you want to call it are related and that they have to do with pleasure centers in my brain that look for any way to be "pleased", whether food or alcohohol or anything else. In eliminating the avenues available to seek pleasure, the brain still seeks them, thus the possible transferrence of addiction. Yes, this is dangerous stuff, and I'll soon be eliminating another possible avenue for my brain - but my brain will not turn off it's compulsivity just because my stomach is gone. Am I scared? Yes. But I know I need to do this for both my mental and physical health. I wish you the best!

[Traceyh 1]

Thanks for the advice.

[Katie713 423]

Really....? I just don't know if I'm capable of coming up with a reply that doesn't point to a troll-post.

[JoJo57 63]

Dear Tracy

I am scared for you. This is so complicated. Is there someone besides your surgeon you can talk to? Take good care of yourself.

[lizv123 389]

I'll say it- there is no way you are in the position to have this surgery. Right now you need psychological intervention, not surgical.

Also, in case this isn't a troll post you'd be amazed at the weight you'll lose when you stop drinking.

[Traceyh 1]

Whats a troll post?

[delta_girl 931]

You will absolutely have to get this addressed before surgery.

ONE bottle of wine has approximately 500-700 calories (depending on the type). That is as much as most of us eat in food in one day for the first 6 months or more! (Some do eat a little bit more.)

I don't see how you could possibly do what is necessary to succeed by drinking 1-2 bottles of wine a day post surgery. It has virtually no Protein at all. Alcohol also has 7 calories per gram, Protein and carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram.

Most of the nutritional plans that I have seen say alcohol after 1 year (after most of the weight has probably been lost).

[adrimc26 7]

Most surgeons agreed on drinking been very dangerous and yes even without a sleeve it damages your liver, you never cared about counting calories I bet like many of us. Otherwise we wouldn't have come to this so drinking your calories I'm not sure it will be as important to you. When you drink one glass of wine or anything you'll get the buzz faster but what's the point on getting a sleeve to safe your life from deceases like high blood cholesterol or diabetes but you'll kill yourself from Cirrhosis. I'm not sure if you know but your liver gets the absorption of alcohol even more when you're sleeved. So I guess you should reconsider your priorities because even a little alcohol will get you in trouble. Another thing, many people become alcoholics I read an article after getting a sleeve because they like getting drunk so quickly and yes at the beginning it happened to me too but now I decided to only drink on especial occasions because I decided to safe my life

[Ms.AntiBand 2,984]

Hi Tracy:

I'm about 2 and half years sober, meaning I dont drink any alcohol - not a drop. I will be sleeved in one week. Yes, as Cowgirl mentions above, there are cases of "transferrence" from overeating to problem drinking. I'm choosing words carefully here so as not to offend folks with the terms "food addict" and "alcoholic", but for me, that's the way I see it. Again, i am not saying that anyone here is an addict or otherwise. I happen to believe that I have a psychological compulsion to drink and once I start, I can't stop (when I was drinking). In many cases, its the same for me with food.

ABSOLUTELY! I am an addict and I will admit it. When I am off carbs (when I do manage to get there) I don't crave or desire extra food. But once I cave, I'm back to my addiction.

I have a glass a wine with my evening meal, but to be honest.. I could really drink another and enjoy it. After reading the OP it's scared me into not even wanting one glass now. I'm being sleeved Dec 14 and no alcohol for me until I reach my goal... And maybe not even then

Traceyh... Please don't go this dangerous route of thinking surgery will help you at this point.

[Jen35 283]

Not being honest with your surgeon is dangerous. Your life is in their hands and this is a piece of information that they need to keep you healthy and alive. If you tell them and they cancel your surgery, there is a good reason for that. The goal of the surgery is to be healthy, not cause other (possibly worse) problems.