:smellie: Just a quick question, can you get drunk with the lap band?

Being a fairly young lady who likes going out once a month for a GOOD drink with the girls, I was was just wondering if I would have to stop this?

I've gone out socially and had drinks with friends. As my band loves liquids, drinking is not a problem. I do feel the effects of the alcohol very quickly. Maybe my limited capacity has something to do with it, or maybe because I have limited food in there to soak it up.

Consider the calories in alcohol--it's very easy to drink your calories, especially if you're impaired.

Thanks For That, Its Nice To Know I Can Still Have A Little Drink If I Feel Like It:)

Hi Helen,

I was told that 1 drink = 3, so be careful! Also alcohol and caffeine can be an irritant to the band itself.

I have had one or two drinks and had no problem, but I would definitely not attempt this out of the house or driving til you see how your body will respond.

I do enjoy going out with the girls also!

I can drink with no problem with the band. One drink usually gets me tipsy though... so beware of that!

The band has no effect on the way your body metabolizes alcohol. With Bypass however you can become impaired with very little alcohol because your body simply does not have the plumbing it used to. Just be concerned with the liquid calories and you will be fine. You should avoid carbonated beverages for at least a year because you could stretch the pouch. Some people have said they can no longer tollerate carbonated beverages because it just comes back up on them. What it comes down to is drinking responsibily.

OH believe me the band does not affect alcohol i still drink as much as i like and its no different from before i had the band, you enjoy it. Just in moderation as the hidden calories are naughty lol.

Liz xxxxxx

WOW! My doc said I couldn't drink alcohol for the first year? Good to hear that a drink won't kill me!! LOL

Beware if you're prone to hangover pukiness! I'd make sure you have some Gravol SUPPOSITORIES around for the day after, just in case!

WOW! My doc said I couldn't drink alcohol for the first year? Good to hear that a drink won't kill me!! LOL

my doc says the same thing however there is no metabolic reason for it. Your doc, like mine probably doesn't want you to consume useless calories. He is also betting that if you go a whole year chances are you might never drink again - therefore you would eliminateone source of calories from your diet. IF you choose to drink - drink non carbonated, non mixed drinks. Drink wine, or a distilled spirit straight, always in moderation.

Beers, wines, and liquors all contain different amounts of alcohol. In general, a 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, and a 1.5-ounce shot of liquor have about the same amount of alcohol and the same number of calories. This would not hold true if you were drinking fortified wines, or other spirits like kaluha etc. So if you want to have a shot and know that you've spent 150 of your 800-1000 cals a day, it really isnt going to hurt you. Just subtract from your daily balance and you will be fine.

Finally anything that can be consumed in liquid form should be considered an empty calorie. Ice Cream (yes ice cream is a liquid), shakes, smooties, soda, fruit joice etc are all empty calories that can easily be consumed since there is nothing to stop you from eating these. The band only allows for restriction, and since there is no solid food everything will just slide right through.

Finally anything that can be consumed in liquid form should be considered an empty calorie. Ice Cream (yes ice cream is a liquid), shakes, smooties, soda, fruit joice etc are all empty calories that can easily be consumed since there is nothing to stop you from eating these. The band only allows for restriction, and since there is no solid food everything will just slide right through.

Not to pick nits, but there's a big difference between liquid calories and "empty" calories. Empty calories are those that come without any nutritional benefits--and while one can indeed make that claim about alcohol, it's far from true about all liquid calories. If it were, we'd all starve to death on the liquid diet!

Once bandsters are on solid foods, we are indeed told to avoid liquid calories to maximize the effect of the band. But that's not the same as saying that all liquid calories are "empty" calories. Sometimes liquid nutrition is VERY important!

You are right - there are some healthy nutritional liquid supliments out there. That being said the intension of the surgery is not to force us to remain on those supliments for the remainder of our lives. It should also be noted that people often use the wrong kind of suppliment or abuse them by adding things to them. because you are not just adding flavor. if you are adding fruit and Peanut Butter, you are also adding carbohydrates (which can slow down weight loss, particularly early on) you are also adding a potential of a dependency on getting a certain amount of satisfaction from something that is just supposed to be for nutrition.

I guess for each person it is different, but in my life leading to where i am, i have depended on food for comfort, emotional needs etc. This will most assuredly fall over into my life post op. So I am taking steps to eliminate dependencies on food. One of those steps is to only take in non caloric beverges after i have transitioned into the solid food stage. I believe that by continuing to consume liquid calories you run the risk of over induldging and eating your way through the opperation. Will i have an occasional glass of wine or beer - sure but I wont be doing it as frequently as i did in the past. The intent of my message was to express how easily it is to consume calories empty or not via liquid not to suggest that all liquid calories are bad.