Alright so my surgery date is the 17th. I started my high Protein low carb diet today. I have 14 days until surgery. My first (probably of many) dilemma has surfaced:

I want to get drunk. I'm not an alcoholic or anything...i drink once a week at most. But tomorrow I have a concert and I wanted to drink with my friends before hand. Not a lot and nothing crazy. Just a few drinks before going in.

Idk if this is a completely terrible idea or if having a few drinks can slide. I need guidance. Help. Advice. Wisdom.

Please somebody guide me. Thank you all in advanced

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It's a terrible idea. The purpose of your liquid diet is to shrink your liver. It's not wise to drink alcohol during this time. It could trigger hunger and cravings too.

I agree I wouldn't do it. I gave up drinking any alcohol about a month before surgery. My Dr suggested it. Need to shrink liver as much as you can, alcohol will not help. Think about why you are having surgery!

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I want to get drunk too. Sadly my clients frown on me working while drunk, so not happening tonight.

Your surgery is on the 17th, so you have 14 days between now and surgery. Go get drunk. Your liver in 2 weeks is not going to be remotely impacted in a way that is relevant to your surgery based on having a few drinks now. I'm not suggesting you get blitzed level drunk, but even if you did, in two weeks it really won't matter. I didn't even have a liquid diet or any restrictions until 1 week before surgery, so two-weeks out, yes, medically you can get drunk and it's not going to matter as it relates to your sleeve.

Past that though, while having a few drinks once a week is not an alcoholic, it also isn't a plan that is going to get you to your weight loss goals. I like being drunk and yet I do it maybe 1-2 times a year, partly because I don't like feeling crappy and I don't have time for a hangover and partly because I like being thin and boozing makes me fat.

You can have a regular drinking habit, or you can have skinny jeans...if you aren't willing to try to have fun without drinking now, do you think that you will be willing to do that in the future when immediately after surgery it very much matters as it relates to your medical health, and later down the road, it is a major indicator for your potential for success with the surgery, weight loss, and weight maintenance?

So yes, you CAN get drunk, but whether you SHOULD or not, is entirely up to you and how you think you will handle this same issue in a month or two.

I'm going to with @@AvaFern here. If you want to drink with your friends tonight do it. Your liver only needs a few days to shrink anyway.

Do it! Have a few for me, too!

This is my opinion as it applies to me...during the weeks prior to surgery giving up alcohol, carbonated drinks and caffeine were really more about the mindset that I was reinforcing rather than if I could get away with drinking them. I've spent many years seeing if I could get away eating and drinking certain things. And guess what? I had 85% of my stomach removed last week because I can't. I believe very strongly that this difficult decision requires full commitment. Again, based on my experience. ☀️

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I would not do it simply because this journey is about discipline !

I was just wondering what I would do in your situation, and my surgery was 2+ years ago, but I just remembered this:

I didn't have a "liver shrinking" diet because my surgeon doesn't believe in them. I was still eating low carb and high Protein before surgery because I was constantly in 'diet' mode anyway and used to eating that way. Just Clear liquids the day before and nothing after midnight. So I had sort of a "food funeral" the weekend before surgery when we went to dinner at my favorite restaurant. I still ate a protein and a veggie, but I also had one of my beloved craft beers. A great big one, too.

I think if my surgeon had specifically told me not to drink, or put me on a pre op diet, I probably wouldn't have. But honestly, it didn't even dawn on me I shouldn't. So I did. But only had the one, because I'm just not much of a drinker.

I'm not going to tell you to go against your surgeons orders, but if you just limit yourself and don't get falling down drunk, I don't see an issue with it. Make sure you're practically drowning in Water for the next couple of weeks, also.

Keep in mind this is just the beginning of the rest of your life. These choices are going to come up daily, sometimes several times a day. To be successful, we've really got to learn to live in this non bariatric surgery friendly world by picking and choosing the best choices for US to become successful. If the sum of those choices equals success for you, no problem. But if they are causing you NOT to be successful, it's time to take stock and evaluate why you wanted the surgery in the first place.

There's my 2 pennies. Whether you wanted it or not

I say do it, but don't let it lead to a total bender of booze, McDonald's afterwards, and a Denny's Grand Slam kind of pork-fest. I can't drink heavy like that and go out with friends without the after-party binge of crap, so THAT's my weakness.

Totally be prepared to have this be your ONLY swan song though. Back in the saddle the next day guzzling water!

you're going to be asking a lot from your liver in the next 3 months, I'd say you can do this, but should you? I did everything I could to eat whole foods, and drink plenty of Water. I drank and ate a lot of greens, because I knew it would be a while before I had veg again, and I wanted to heal quickly and well following the trauma of surgery.

I wouldn't - but that's just my 2 c.

That is a tough situation. I have loved bar hopping and going out since I turned 21 in college. (I'm 40 now.) Alcohol and food have been the centerpiece of my social life for almost 20 years. I started my six-month pre-op diet March 21. Three times over the next month we had company come to or through New Orleans and visited us and each required "going out" in one way or the other. By the third one (mid-April), I was trying to save the calories for the boozing so that I would still come out to about 1500 calories (my daily goal at the time). Not only did I get sloppy really quick because I had nothing in me, but the hangover was beyond hellacious and I had no way to combat it (no carb heavy foods, no grease, no hair-of-the-dog -- no nothing).

So, I made the decision to cut alcohol out on that horrible April morning, and I am here almost six months later and still haven't had any. And I lost 100 pounds pre-op. Am I going to give it up forever? No. I hope to be able to integrate the occasional drink back into my life around mid-December. But during this time, I have tweaked my social life where alcohol is not at the center of it all. We've been out dozens of times to concerts, shows, bars, Bourbon Street (unfortunately), you name it. I've enjoyed the people and the company and haven't let my temporary-alcohol-free-status keep me from having a good time.

You are an adult and can do what you please. This is only my experience. I HAD to let it go to move me toward my goals. But for an ex-man child, fraternity guy who lives in New Orleans' French Quarter, if I can do it, anyone can.

I appreciate all of your advice and guidance. It truly helps me so much and gives me so much perspective.

Due to kim kardashian being robbed at gunpoint in Paris, Kanye West cancelled his concert tonight and it's post poned til December 13th! Although I'm dissapointed, I'm glad that I got this advice and maybe I can have a drink before that one!

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Alright so my surgery date is the 17th. I started my high Protein low carb diet today. I have 14 days until surgery. My first (probably of many) dilemma has surfaced:

I want to get drunk. I'm not an alcoholic or anything...i drink once a week at most. But tomorrow I have a concert and I wanted to drink with my friends before hand. Not a lot and nothing crazy. Just a few drinks before going in.

Idk if this is a completely terrible idea or if having a few drinks can slide. I need guidance. Help. Advice. Wisdom.

Please somebody guide me. Thank you all in advanced

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You're fine to drink 2 weeks before surgery. A lot of ppl drink the night before surgery lol! I'm not one of them, but I don't think 2 weeks beforehand is any big deal.

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Alright so my surgery date is the 17th. I started my high Protein low carb diet today. I have 14 days until surgery. My first (probably of many) dilemma has surfaced:

I want to get drunk. I'm not an alcoholic or anything...i drink once a week at most. But tomorrow I have a concert and I wanted to drink with my friends before hand. Not a lot and nothing crazy. Just a few drinks before going in.

Idk if this is a completely terrible idea or if having a few drinks can slide. I need guidance. Help. Advice. Wisdom.

Please somebody guide me. Thank you all in advanced

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You're fine to drink 2 weeks before surgery. A lot of ppl drink the night before surgery lol! I'm not one of them, but I don't think 2 weeks beforehand is any big deal.

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Lol! It's always HILARIOUS being wreckless with our health, isn't it??? Lol!!!

A lot of ppl drink the night before surgery lol!

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A lot of people text and drive/smoke crack/don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom/eat off the floor/run red lights/lie, cheat and steal/etc.

I'm not one of them nor can I imagine telling someone it's ok for them to do it either.