I am 7 months post VSG and 2 months post Lap cholecystectomy. We are on vacation at a resort so I am having a few cocktails here and there. I have to say I do not notice any difference in my alcohol tolerance now compared to before surgeries. I guess that is a good thing. I only drink on vacations and occasionally at home when we go to dinner/ party with friends. This week I am trying to balance enjoying my vacation with keeping an eye on the empty calories from cocktails etc. Planning to get back to tracking when I get home.

On the rare occasion I’ve drank, I didn’t notice a difference in tolerance levels either. If anything I’d say mine almost seemed a bit higher after VSG which goes against everything I’ve seen.

No real difference here either (beyond what you'd expect from losing more than half my body weight).

Generally, VSG is only a bit of restriction. All the plumbing is as it was pre-op. So, generally, there is no reason tolerances or much else should change. In some VSG folks, and depending on circumstances, alcohol may dump through the pyloric valve quick than pre-op, causing an effect similar to Gastric Bypass below. There could also be an impact that because you eat less and weigh less that eventually the buzz could hit slightly harder.

For Gastric Bypass, in addition to the restriction, the pyloric valve is no longer in play so any alcohol dumps straight into the intestines. Generally this would cause the alcohol to hit nearly all at once, making it feel like it's hitting harder because it's processing all at once. Because all you drink is processed immediately my Doc* felt it was harder on the liver, so with my severe fatty liver he cautioned me not to overdrink if I could avoid it.

As with all things, your mileage may vary.

Good luck,

Tek

* I took what Doc said as fact though I don't recall researching it on my own as I usually would.

1 hour ago, The Greater Fool said:

Generally, VSG is only a bit of restriction. All the plumbing is as it was pre-op. So, generally, there is no reason tolerances or much else should change. In some VSG folks, and depending on circumstances, alcohol may dump through the pyloric valve quick than pre-op, causing an effect similar to Gastric Bypass below. There could also be an impact that because you eat less and weigh less that eventually the buzz could hit slightly harder.

For Gastric Bypass, in addition to the restriction, the pyloric valve is no longer in play so any alcohol dumps straight into the intestines. Generally this would cause the alcohol to hit nearly all at once, making it feel like it's hitting harder because it's processing all at once. Because all you drink is processed immediately my Doc* felt it was harder on the liver, so with my severe fatty liver he cautioned me not to overdrink if I could avoid it.

As with all things, your mileage may vary.

Good luck,

Tek

* I took what Doc said as fact though I don't recall researching it on my own as I usually would.

That makes sense. I guess I forgot to notice if people were talking about VSG or RNY when they were talking about it.

I was told that alcohol would hit me harder with the sleeve but I didn’t think it did either. I only drank one time and couldn’t really get much down cause without the “and coke” part of rum and Coke, it tastes pretty gross (I tried it with crystal light and didn’t like it at all). Anyways, people made it sound like one drink would get you buzzed and that was not the case for me either.

So there have been 3 occasions I had a drink(s) since May (surgery). The first time I mixed diet orange soda with some red wine and sipped that Solo cup of it for over an hour and didn't feel a thing. Maybe because I took so long to drink it?

A few weekends ago hubby and I checked out a new cider place and they had flights which is 4, 4 oz pours. We were there for about an hour and a half and those I felt. But no faster or slower than before surgery.

Last weekend I had a solo cup of a wine from a nearby winery and after a few sips of that I could feel it but was not buzzed really and definitely not drunk. LOL

I'm thinking if it seems to hit most people faster it MAY be because they are smaller in size/weight and/or it has been a while since they even had a drink.

Either way I'm not so afraid to have a drink now when I feel like it. I do it so infrequently that I'm not gonna not have one if I want one.

Well I wish this was true for me! I miss having cocktails with my friends. I was pretty good about making them low-cal when possible.

Last weekend we went wine tasting. I had a 4-pour flight. I took literally a small sip of each and felt slightly buzzed when I was finished. My wife and friends were more than happy to finish mine so no harm.

36 minutes ago, jenny8791 said:

Well I wish this was true for me! I miss having cocktails with my friends. I was pretty good about making them low-cal when possible.

Last weekend we went wine tasting. I had a 4-pour flight. I took literally a small sip of each and felt slightly buzzed when I was finished. My wife and friends were more than happy to finish mine so no harm.

My guess is that weighing 1/4 what you did pre-op is the difference.

Congratulations! [Assuming weighing 1/4 less is better than being able to hold your liquor ]

Tek

I had a Loop DS 14 months ago, and I rarely drink, but I haven't noticed a big difference either. The only thing I notice is it doesn't feel great in my stomach.

I had my first cocktail just the other night and was fully ready for it to hit me harder than pre-op. It did not. One thing I did notice is that my taste has changed and I didn't enjoy the flavor of what was my pre-op signature drink (dirty vodka martini). I'm a little disappointed by that, but I guess it will keep me from overdoing it and going back to nightly cocktails.