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Just reading your story Scotty. My heart breaks for you. My grandfather was a functioning alcoholic for over 40 years. He quit drinking and smoking January of 2000 with AA. By 2004 he was facing stage 4 lung cancer and late stage cirrhosis of the liver. It was too late for him. I will never forget my last conversation with him a week before he passed. He told me, "the drink and smoke may have killed me, but G-d dammit, I quit. And no one will ever take that away from me."

You started this thread saying that you needed fear. You are burning your stomach from the inside out. You are at serious risk for internal bleeding and stomach cancer if your ulcers are both left untreated and compounded with alcohol use. THIS is the fear you were looking for. Those are life altering and in a lot of cases life ENDING complications. I know this is hard, especially as a functioning alcoholic. Functioning so well keeps you from many of the immediate consequences that could come of your drinking but it keeps you from dealing with the long term consequences that are building up in your body.

Keep going to the AA meetings. Use the resources around you. The recovering addicts that are reaching out to you. Don't let your massive weight loss be your grand finale. It is not too late for you!

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just a follow up to you guys: i am 6 weeks without a drink :-) . super hard but i did a chemical dependance program through kaiser. had an impatient and outpatient program. i currently go to aa and i have a sponsor. last straw was learning my bilirubin was elevated, thanks for the encouragement!

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Congrats Scotty. Just keep doing what your sponsor says. Be willing to try anything.

So happy to hear this.

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just a follow up to you guys: i am 6 weeks without a drink :-) . super hard but i did a chemical dependance program through kaiser. had an impatient and outpatient program. i currently go to aa and i have a sponsor. last straw was learning my bilirubin was elevated, thanks for the encouragement!

Well done! Rootin for you here also!

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just a follow up to you guys: i am 6 weeks without a drink :-) . super hard but i did a chemical dependance program through kaiser. had an impatient and outpatient program. i currently go to aa and i have a sponsor. last straw was learning my bilirubin was elevated' date=' thanks for the encouragement![/quote']

Congrats! I'm so happy to hear this. Just keep stepping, one foot in front of the other. We're all here for ya brah.

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Awesome Scotty! Being sober can be tough early on, I'm so glad you got support. It gets better. It really does. Hang in there.

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Congratulations Scotty!

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Congrats, keep up the good work!

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Awesome job! We're all rooting for you to succeed, you know that, right? :-)

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when you were drinking after sleeve how did you stomach feel...???

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when you were drinking after sleeve how did you stomach feel...???

Are you asking the op this????

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Last summer, my drinking was reaching epic and incredibly disastorous proportions, so I checked myself into a treatment facility. Now, I have an AA "homegroup" that I regularly attend--not because I'm in a state of crisis anymore or because I've "sunk so low," but instead because I really like the people there and find it to be a great place of support to talk about all kinds of things.

I suppose what I'm saying is that I go to AA meetings voluntairly because I enjoy them, not because I think there's something "wrong" with me or that I'm a "bad person" or anything like that. And sure, they help keep me sober, and I know that's important to me for many reasons.

Prior to last summer, you would have NEVER found a person less willing to have anything to do with AA than a guy like me, but now I feel bummed if I have to miss a meeting I like. This summer, I got the VSG. So I suppose for the last 2 summers I've worked on an "upgrade" of sorts.

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I just realize I'm in the mens room .. Hahaha I'm lurking

That's ok pretty smile, you are welcome,lol.

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    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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