Hello there. I have a friend who recently underwent the Gastric Sleeve surgery and I was concerned about his health and thought that this may be a good place to ask a question.

My friend underwent surgery during the second week of September. He has lost around 50 lbs already and looks great. What concerns me is that he is consuming a large amount of alcohol, and has been since the 4th week after surgery. He originally told us it would take at least 5 weeks to recover from the surgery.

On a night out he has been consuming over 10 vodka drinks and 5 shots of alcohol (which he sips). We try to curtail him from this but he refuses to stop. He has been drinking like this 2 to 3 times a week.

Does anyone know of the complications that could arise from this type of activity? My friends and I are worried that he's going to seriously hurt himself and want to have actual information to give him about the complications.

Health and happiness to the rest of you on this board.

He had his surgery the second week of September? Wow...I was told no alcohol for a year..now every DR is different but I have never heard of a DR. saying you can drink as early as 4 weeks. That seems very dangerous to me. Alcohol could cause ulcers in the stomach, and Acid Reflux. It sounds like your friend has transfer addiction issues. When we have a surgery like this there is a period of time that goes by when you "mourn" food. You miss using food for comfort and sometimes you pick up another bad habbit like drinking, smoking or gambling to feel better since you can no longer use food to do that. It sounds like your friend needs to see a food addiction therapist or psychologist. Alcohol in that amount can be very dangerous. 10 drinks in a night with a tiny stomach=bad news.

Sounds like what is called transfer addiction. He used to medicate with food, but he cant use food anymore so he is using alcohol. It is dangerous, and you should encourage him to get help.

Edited October 31, 201312 yr by Momonanomo

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  Will I Be More Sensitive to Alcohol Following Gastric Sleeve Surgery?
  
  
  With Gastric Sleeve Surgery, alcohol absorption remains just as it was before the surgery, so you shouldn't be more sensitive to alcohol per se. Gastric Sleeve Surgery differs from gastric bypass surgery as there is no rerouting of the intestines or malabsorption.
  To learn more about alcohol absorption and gastric sleeve surgery, please call The Gastric Sleeve Centers at 1-855-690-0559.
  
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  Can I drink alcohol after having Gastric Sleeve Surgery?
  
  
  It is not harmful for you to drink an occasional glass of wine or other alcoholic beverage after Gastric Sleeve Surgery, but drinking alcohol on a regular basis will likely hinder your loss of weight. Alcohol is very high calories and breaks down Vitamins that your body needs to remain healthy, so talk with your dietitian or surgeon for what amount of alcohol you can reasonably enjoy.
  
  Use this phone number and they can help you with the medical reasons for not over drinking after the sleeve...Hope this helps
  

If he's drinking that much already its a good bet he's already an alcoholic and is just continuing his addiction. It's not going to get any better.. Fact, without intervention he's going to fail in more than just wls.

Was he a heavy drinker before surgery? I'd find it hard to believe he recently picked this up and is already able to drink so much at a time. His behavior sounds like the cornerstone of addiction, I'm afraid. Drinking that much sleeve or no sleeve is dangerous and irresponsible. He's setting himself up for so many problems down the road.

It sounds like you and others in his life care about him. Try and confront him about it from a caring and constructive point of view. He may not be ready to hear it, but he needs to.

WLS puts a strain on every patients' liver - now that he is adding this much alcohol, the situation sounds very self-destructive. He needs an intervention - let us know what happens.

WLS puts a strain on every patients' liver - now that he is adding this much alcohol, the situation sounds very self-destructive. He needs an intervention - let us know what happens.

Strain on the liver? Why is that.. ?

Go to LiveLong,Inc.com and read about the role of the liver during the breakdown of fat in the body - the liver and gallbladder are overworked during weight loss.