So, I’m a few weeks post op and I’m just curious as to how long it took some of you to have your first alcoholic drink post op. I’ve seen most recommend after 6 mos to a year

my clinic told us a year - but it was three years before I had any alcohol. But then, I was never a big drinker before surgery, either. It seems like most clinics recommend waiting six months to a year, as you said..

Never for me.

My surgeon recommends no alcohol for at least 6 months post-op. I'm currently 2 months out and don't plan to drink anytime soon. I would say, follow your plan, its there for a reason.

My medical team told us 1 year!

I had a bit of Champagne a month and a half after and it went STRAIGHT to my head. No thanks.

My surgeon said no alcohol for a year, but I'm 16 months out and haven't had even a sip since my surgery. I didn't drink much before surgery, either, because I was a lightweight when it came to drinking, even when I was over 300 pounds. I'm kind of afraid to drink now because most people say that alcohol has an even stronger effect after surgery. I don't particularly enjoy drinking, anyway, so it's not much of a sacrifice for me.

Have a chat with your team. The no alcohol advice tends to be for two reasons: one the calories & poor nutritional value (& no it doesn’t count as a fluid ?). Two, the more important consideration for many is the addictive nature of alcohol. If you are someone who has a food addiction, post surgery you can’t satisfy that addiction so you turn to something else & alcohol is usually the first place people go.

At about 6 weeks out I nursed a gin & tonic for hours. It was my cousin’s 40. I think I had another g&t at about 4 months, then 6 (girls weekend & at goal) then 7 months (Christmas - though was champagne). Same story sipped for hours. The tonic would be super flat & I could tolerate the bitterness. I still usually only have a glass of something about once a month or so, occasionally more often depending on what’s happening (special events) but am happy with just one glass. I used to drink one or two glasses of wine, gin or whisky every night. Don’t miss it. I go for quality now not quantity.

5 hours ago, BigSue said:

My surgeon said no alcohol for a year, but I'm 16 months out and haven't had even a sip since my surgery. I didn't drink much before surgery, either, because I was a lightweight when it came to drinking, even when I was over 300 pounds. I'm kind of afraid to drink now because most people say that alcohol has an even stronger effect after surgery. I don't particularly enjoy drinking, anyway, so it's not much of a sacrifice for me.

nice to see you on here again! You're going to have to change your name to "LittleSue" - congrats on that huge loss!

On 11/23/2021 at 11:24 PM, catwoman7 said:

nice to see you on here again! You're going to have to change your name to "LittleSue" - congrats on that huge loss!

Thanks. It's surreal sometimes to realize that I have lost over 200 pounds. Two hundred pounds! And yet I still feel like the same old Big Sue a lot of the time. TBH, I've been struggling a lot in many aspects of my life, so I'm not in a great place to be offering encouraging words to other WLS patients right now. I do still look at new posts, though, and I have to admire you for sticking around after all these years to educate newbies on things like the three week stall.