Alcoholism & WLS

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Just to be clear, I didn't say (or mean) that someone who drinks more than 7 5-ounce servings of wine per week is an alcoholic.

But a woman who drinks more than this is drinking more than the broadly acceptable definition of a "social drinker."

There are lots of other (defined) terms that describe other alcohol drinking behaviors, e.g., alcohol abuse, problem drinking, binge drinking, heavy drinking, underage drinking, blood alcohol levels, patterns of alcohol consumption, episodic drinking, etc.

For those who want to go deeeeep into this subject, here's a place to start:

http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/research/guidelines-and-resources/recommended-alcohol-questions

BTW, I agree that substances that can derail weight loss and weight maintenance include not only too much alcohol, but too many sugary foods, other high-carb foods, calorie-laden drinks, nuts, salty Snacks, and any other slider foods.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

@@VSGAnn2014 I know that wasn't your meaning, I was just responding to the concept that there is a clear line when a person is an alcoholic. Where I live, there is a big wine and beer with dinner culture, and there are plenty of people having wine daily with dinner that dont get drunk and are not alcoholics. Those recommendations come from studies about health risks like cancer etc. For some sad reason, even at the same bodyweight, alcohol is more harmful for women than men.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I know, @@CowgirlJane ... man, I dearly wish I could drink like an Englishman and not hurt my liver, my livelihood or my newly slim waistline.

[redemmy 8]

My aunt passed away 2 years ago of complications resulting from alcoholism. She had WLS about 10 years ago, and i do believe it was the sleeve but not 100% on that. I'm not sure whether alcohol became her vice after surgery or whether it was a medley of issues (probably the later), but what i do know is that it all happened in a flash really. I mean, 8 years is a relatively short amount of time to drink yourself to death and i can't say that i believe having had the WLS wasn't a factor in the excellerated prgression of her disease. What i know is that we, people, while different on so many levels, all share a common problem that we have sought medical help for- our addiction to food. I can see how easy it could be to swap one bad habit for another. I love drinking and eating. Only 9 days post op and I am terrified of making poor choices again...food, drink, all.of it. At the same time, i have had.moments of fear that I'll never be able to indulge it all again. Also terrifying.

That is all.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I am so sorry for the loss of your aunt. 10 years ago, it probably was not the sleeve, but doesn't really matter.

A coworker of mine had gastric bypass, what I didn't know is she was a type 1 diabetic. She got very thin, was anxious and sick alot then she didn't work for our company anymore. About a year later I found out she died in her sleep at age 40 - essentially from alcoholism and the diabetes. She had also abandoned her family, had gotten fired from her job- she went off the rails so to speak. It happened astonishingly fast too, I would say less then 3 years from her surgery.

I had known her casually for years and I didn't even recognize the person she morphed into - due to the alcoholism. It is a serious subject.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

A lot of people are food addicts to cope with some kind of trauma. When the food is taken away, they turn to other things.

I don't think the correlation is just WLS and new addictions. It is underlying issues that are not resolved and the absence of food.

[ironpoorer 88]

I must say that I drank to excess before surgery and always figured I was alcoholic; for the pre-surgery diet I just quit and really had no difficulties doing so; since then I had 2 drinks (before surgery) after work on the last day before our Christmas shutdown, and nothing since surgery. Again, it seems way too easy...always thought I would suffer more

The Dr. said my liver looked good except that it was very fatty...no cirrhosis thank God and good genetics!

I guess now thinking about adding 500+ calories daily of sugar back to my diet and most likely arresting my weight loss...after going thru what I have in the last few months seems a bit silly, so any thoughts of drinking are quickly vanquished by the urge to continue to drop weight every week.

[LisaPunkinHead 187]

I am an alcoholic -- I have been sober for 15 years. I can see the transfer addiction issue because while I was doing the pre-op classes, I saw a clear connection between changing my life after weight loss surgery and the change I went through when I got sober. The stress management techniques and some of the other things they taught at pre-op class were very similar to the techniques I learned from my AA sponsor.

[Cape Crooner 589]

The first thing I would ask is why do you ask this question? Seriously, what information and/or statement were you hoping to make?

I have been a 3-4 day a week social drinker for 40+ years. Since my VSG, I find that I drink less and enjoy it equally well.

I discussed this with my surgical team and they agreed that the VSG would help me reduce my moderate alcohol consumption and it has!

Edited February 7, 2016 by Cape Crooner

[2goldengirl 2,076]

The therapist who did my psych eval has worked with bariatric surgery patients for 14 years, and talking about transfer addiction is something she talks about in every eval she does - more as a caveat to preop candidates that the need to learn to cope without food is serious business.

I think another factor for many is that being seriously overweight leads to social isolation for many. Once the weight is lost, those who may have felt socially isolated may enjoy becoming more socially active, but a feeling of awkwardness can remain. Alcohol can numb the awkwardness, but given the way many postops have a lower tolerance for alcohol, it can be a problem.

[Cape Crooner 589]

@@2goldengirl I think you nailed it. Alcohol addiction doesn't just happen, we slide into it. But I think if you were addicted to eating (or drugs, whatever) before wls, you may become addicted to drinking at any time.

I was never addicted to eating. My problem was an oversized stretched stomach and misinformation about what to eat to lose weight.

I'm the chef and we seldom ate out. I purchased and prepared all our meals and knew what I was eating.

By the way, wls won't cure eating addiction, it will simply make it impossible to stuff your face at one sitting.

I have no doubt that even at mid-honeymoon, I good consume 5,000 calories a day eating candy and chips without a drop of alcohol.

I now plan my meals every morning and stick to my plan. On weekends, my plan includes 200-300 calories of alcohol and I log after each pour.

Yesterday I totaled 1435 calories, so I walked 5 miles to offset the extra 225 calories of vodka. I also try to drink extra Water before and after to offset the diuretic effect.

As long as I'm following this type of regimen, I'm not addicted to anything.

That said, I'm 5 pounds away from goal and FULLY cognizant of the slippery slope that lies ahead if/when I stop logging!

Stay tuned...

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

@@Afrikanaaa,

Great question! I am really surprised your surgeon didn’t seem to know why or was surprised, though! I believe the alcoholism he’s talking about is a type of replacement addiction – it’s an addiction to replace the addiction to food.

The new addiction could be alcohol, drugs, or smoking. Or it could be something less obvious and possibly a lot healthier, like an addiction to exercise.

Another thing to be aware of with alcohol is that you’re far more sensitive to it with the sleeve. A little goes a long way, and fast. Drink less than you used to, and never on an empty stomach.

Good luck!

[Amelie2016 116]

I must say that I drank to excess before surgery and always figured I was alcoholic; for the pre-surgery diet I just quit and really had no difficulties doing so; since then I had 2 drinks (before surgery) after work on the last day before our Christmas shutdown, and nothing since surgery. Again, it seems way too easy...always thought I would suffer more

The Dr. said my liver looked good except that it was very fatty...no cirrhosis thank God and good genetics!

I guess now thinking about adding 500+ calories daily of sugar back to my diet and most likely arresting my weight loss...after going thru what I have in the last few months seems a bit silly, so any thoughts of drinking are quickly vanquished by the urge to continue to drop weight every week.

You go, Boy! =)

[Canuimagine 8]

I am an alcoholic in recovery and you are right, there is nothing "mild" about it. I am glad that I have a program behind me to hopefully help me with the adjustments after surgery.

[rnsamantha 352]

I actually was concerned I was developing alcoholic habits before surgery. I would drink 1-2 bottles of wine in an evening on weekends, and frequently have 2-3 glasses even on week nights. Post surgery I occasionally have a single 3-4 oz glass of wine (now I have to buy the little mini 4 packs!), but I'm pretty tipsy after that one glass. I might have a glass 1-2 x per month. I'm much less depressed than I used to be, and alcohol was a (very poor) coping mechanism. I don't like the feeling of being drunk, so for me, I think surgery improved my habits.