How long after surgery did everyone wait to have a glass of wine? I’ve heard many different things- but I want to hear what people actually did as opposed to what they were instructed to do

I waited until my Anniversary - 5 months post-op.

About 4.5 months post-op

I am a nurse in the GI department of our hospital. I've seen the damage that alcohol can do to WLS patients, even years post op. I will never touch a drop of alcohol for the rest of my life. I've worked too hard to add any additional risk.

@AZhiker wow! That puts things into perspective! Thank you

Some of the worse ulcers ever were at the anastomosis of a gastric bypass patient who started drinking a little wine again - 14 year post op!!!! Many others, as well. Those surgical tissues remain fragile forever, I'm thinking. Alcohol is a terrible irritant to tissue of any kind, but for surgical areas, even worse. Everyone makes their own decisions and takes their own risks, but for me, alcohol is on the "never again" list.

I had a glass of wine at a business dinner about 4 months out. I don't often have a glass even now, but I will under the right occasion. I've become a total lightweight and get very silly, so I only do it when it's socially appropriate. Maybe once every 2 or 3 months.

I had a glass of champagne on my 20th anniversary - three years after surgery!

Sipped on a flavored vodka with water at 6 weeks. Got drunk very fast and sobered up just as quickly. Still like that a year out. Its like a party trick, my friends still get a kick out of it.

I drank alcohol on rare occasions during my weight loss phase. My first drink was less than a month post op. I DON'T recommend that, but there were extenuating work circumstances. I decided after that that I would very rarely drink because I did not want the extra calories. It seemed crazy to eat 500 cals, and then drink another 100+, that's an extra 20%+ I didn't need.

Once I got close to maintenance, I began to drink similarly to how I did pre op. It's probably somewhat less now, because my tolerance is a little bit lower, and I can't drink & eat simultaneously.