How long can you drink alcohol after gastric sleeve surgery ?

whiskey
vodka
tequila
beer

.

I was told by my surgeon a year... I know a couple of ppl personally thay only waited a few mths, it slows down your progress of losing and you get drunk faster, so I hear

Hi,

I waited 7 weeks after surgery. You can't drink as much and it hits you sooner. Just be careful it's still calories. Its usually the mixes that are higher in calories.

There are some people who say they can drink beer, but most doctors say not to drink beer, champagne, or anything else carbonated. The reasoning is pretty simple: you have a surgically altered stomach held together by staples that is trying to heal... filling it with something that expands is... not smart.

As for the other stuff... they recommend less strongly against that, for different reasons. It's very easy to substitute one overindulgence for another. Plus, those calories still count, and that chips away from what you can eat. And finally, yes, as noted, you will feel the effects harder and faster.

I'm able to occasionally have a glass of wine at the end of the day, when I don't need to drive and I've planned the calories and carbs into my day. But I find there's a very slippery slope where if I go beyond that, I tend to try and keep talking myself into more... more booze, more food. It's not good. So I try and keep it to one. And not every day.

37 minutes ago, etc. etc. etc. said:

But I find there's a very slippery slope where if I go beyond that, I tend to try and keep talking myself into more... more booze, more food. It's not good. So I try and keep it to one. And not every day.

This is the bigger reason so much caution is used in regards to alcohol. I'll have to look up the stats but the rate that people turn into alcoholics after WLS is significant. Lower inhibitions may lead to eating more or eating things that you shouldn't.

Never, according to my surgeon and nutritionist.

I had a mixed drink at 6 weeks out and a beer at 8 weeks. I'm sure everyone's doctor will tell them something different. My nutritionist has never advocated beer, as it's pretty much dead calories. I'm right at 2 years out, and can't drink more than a 6 pack in about 4 hours. Not advocating this, but it might have happened at a football game. It's very easy to drink calories, so be very mindful of this.... It's also very easy to eat garbage after a few drinks...

My surgeon told me to wait a year to drink any kind of alcohol. That’s going to be hard for me because I like to have a drink on my birthday and I had my sleeve December 5th 2017 and my birthday is January 28th.

My surgeon said 3-4 weeks for wine, beer whenever it doesn't make me uncomfortable.

Of course, all of the other nutrition guidelines apply as noted in other responses.

I asked this question of my surgeon day ONE, as I have a wine cellar that is WAY too valuable to go to waste...

I was also told a year. I probably won’t likeky stick to that, bc I like to have a drink after work. I’m planning on staying away from beer and carbonated mixers, and sugary mixers. That puts me with wine, or a sugar-free water based cocktail, or a Bloody Mary? Idk. Now I want a cocktail. Lol.

I like to vodka. I just tried to be careful. I drink flavored ones so I just have a couple without the juices. I have a stressful job so I like my release now and then. I'm also very social with my friends. Moderation is the key.

11 minutes ago, dianedi said:

Moderation is the key.

There's a lot of truth to this... After a couple months you can do just about anything you want, but you better keep it in moderation if you want to continue weight loss... Most of us don't do well with moderation, as evidenced by our need for this surgery.

Edited January 11, 20188 yr by Ronjohn

I drank some Skinny Girl Margarita and a zero calorie carbonated grapefruit drink as a mixer. I dont know how but I guzzled those things and before I knew it, I drank two 750 ml bottles to myself! (I was the only one drinking them at a party!) What this did was it got me drunk fast but I believe it flushed through me just as quickly so the high never got really bad - does that make sense? Pre surgery I would have been falling all over the place!

It also made me crave some bad food carbs so I ended up nibbling the wrong things ALL night long. For me, the moral of the story is I overdrank and overate before WLS and I clearly did the same POST WLS and I can no longer drink alcohol. Big part of why, after two short months, my weight loss has slowed. I wont be doing that again. Plus I got like four different guys phone numbers and woke up with a huge hickey - eh, maybe I will do it again kidding!

I waited 3 months post-op to have any alcohol. Since then, I have had it in moderation (mostly in social situations and only red wine or carb-free liquor drinks). At 16 months post-op, and below goal with a 225 pound total loss, I have no issues with it. In fact, I usually weigh less after drinking because it dehydrates me a bit. While I return to my regular weight the next day, I have never gained an ounce from it.

YMMV. But, as folks have said in the thread, be mindful of the calories, and watch out for the sugar and carbs in many of the mixers. And, most of all, listen to your doctor's advice.

My program says 4 months, but I think it has to do more with risk of substituting addictions than anything else. I don't drink much, so will only miss it in social situations.

Its funny to find this topic, we just talked about this at the support group tonight!... My team says 18 months to 2 years, and to be at home or somewhere safe when we first try it out. They said that it was because it will affect you differently. And because there's such a risk for transferring addictions, they said if you have one and think "wow that was really good, I want another" that you probably shouldn't. We have 3 people post op in our support groups who attend AA meetings. Apparently 1 in 10 wls patient will end up becoming an alcoholic. (at least that's what they said!)

Scary stuff! I'll definitely be staying away from it other than for special occasions , but everyone is different. Just be careful!