Hi I'm going to a big wedding and really want to have a drink there. I am 3 and half weeks post op. Also my social gathering amount all my friends I've had for over 20 years all gather for drinks on weekends and I'm being to feel left out of my social group. Would I harm myself by having just 2 gin and orange every Saturday at this stage? In 2 days it will be 4 weeks post op.

I like being referred to as professor. I see your argument. Well made and valid. I prefer not to chance it because I have smoked in the past. Both vaping and smoking irritate my lungs and cause me physical distress (coughing) that otherwise doesn’t occur during periods of abstinence. It is my hypothesis that it affects different people in different ways and that the medical community as a whole will see the tertiary effects more accurately once they’re better to establish control groups of people who have only ever vaped. These young people and their health will be the lens through which we see if vaping is truly as innocent as you suggest. 
In some amount of time. Maybe not yet 20. It’s about air and the exposure of a thick sticky substance building up on there. Have you ever gotten it on your hand? Was it easy to wash off? I don’t know the answers to that. Maybe it seems like a natural product. I can’t imagine. 

Wow!!! This post really went off the rails! Lol I started shaking my head at the inflammatory responses & stopped reading about 80% of the way through. Some people really like to argue. [emoji38]

I know the feeling Hollywrites2u I got so frustrated reading she on my asked could she have alcohol at 3 weeks out and it somehow went onto another topic lol

It'll depend if you ask for the US view or the global view. US view = no.
I was cleared for alcohol 28 days post-op. I have had a drink or a glass of wine weekly since. It hits a lot harder, but I have a significant bypass, not a sleeve, so it goes further down - faster - and I adjusted my amounts down accordingly.
I'm in the 95th percentile for weight lost, was told to stop losing 10 lbs ago by my program, and have maintained a steady weight for four months now. Still drinking weekly.
You need to have an honest talk with yourself about this. And by honest, I don't mean 'I can stick to one at this one thing' and then it goes off the rails. Really think about if you feel like you can manage it. If no, don't. If yes, well, have fun.

Agree with this. It's all about how you feel and if you think you can handle it. At the end of the day it's best to stick to your dieticians word. I'm not trying to give you a reason to do anything but I have noticed the wls guidelines in the US are very anti drink vs. Europe. I personally think you're too early on and your stomach is probably still healing. I will tell you I went against my dieticians word and had a drink before the 6 month mark she gave me because I go to a lot of events and parties. I had a long talk with myself and my mom (who is a physician) and came to the conclusion to just try one drink. I made sure it had no sugar or carbonation in it so I did a vodka water with lemon juice. Personally it didn't hit me any different than pre op. I had the drink 2 months and some weeks post op. I will say you can feel the alcohol a lot more (not in the getting drunk sense) but you can feel it go down your esophagus and into your stomach and intestines and it hurts and burns and even makes you cramp a little. Not very pleasant.

Anyway, it's up to you. 3 weeks is pretty early on. I will say at 3 weeks I was so focused on feeling better and hydrated I did not want a drink. It might make you feel awful because you're recovering. In my opinion, just have a mock tail. If not, try to decide if it's really worth it, if you can handle maybe getting sick at a big event or bad dehydration without being able to chug water or eat greasy foods the next day.

Not sure if it’s too late to chime in to be helpful but I’ll give you my experience and advice. I was not given much guidance by my program about alcohol other than to avoid it for the empty calories aspect.
As a Jew, wine is part of our holidays, rituals and celebrations so it’s hard to avoid. Yea, I could do juice but I don’t want to, I like wine and I’m an adult, damnit.
I had a small glass at home a week or so post op and noticed that it feels a little funny when it hits my stomach but that goes away quickly and I drink a lot less than I used to. I feel it sooner, but once I stop drinking the buzzed feeling goes away sooner too. So overall for me a pro. I drink 1-3 glasses a week (still much less than I did before) and do not binge cause I don’t want to get hammered in a hurry. If you’re going to drink at an event, I’d recommend trying it at home to see how you handle it. That way if you have a problem, you’re in a safe place.
I can’t speak to the dumping as although I drink sweet wine, I haven’t had an issue. I just treat it like any other liquid and don’t chug or take big sips. This way, one glass lasts a lot longer too. Another bonus in my opinion.
If your program specifically forbids it, I’d recommend following that recommendation just to save the hassle of having to tell them what you did lol. And I agree that if you chose not to drink then it shouldn’t be a problem. If you need to lol like you’re drinking you can always have the bartender mix up a cranberry and water cocktail or similar mixed drink minus the alcohol. If you chose to drink, you can nurse a glass of wine for an hour or more at a time and ask the bartender to pour you a weak cocktail, should you desire you a mixed drink. Bartenders are like hairdressers, they’re good at keeping secrets ?

This is what happens when someone is wrong on the internet!

Back to the OP, reality is we're going to do what we're going to do, whether drinking, smoking, vaping, injecting, or any of a number of other whatevers, even when our plans forbid them. Statistics apply to groups, not individuals. Statistics describe risk. Choose the level of risk you are willing to take. Not everyone that jumps out of a plane without a parachute dies, but it's probably something best avoided if possible.

I recommend a trial run (perhaps two) at home to see how you will be affected. Once you've figured it out, a public run should be more secure.

Good luck and enjoy your drink(s).

Tek

I asked my dietician about alcohol and she said a glass or two of champagne during the winter holidays was fine - I was 5.5 weeks post op by then. It did hit me harder and wear off quicker than before. I've had wine most weekends since then - one or two glasses. I'm certain it must have slowed my weight loss because there are calories in it, but I accept that because I really like wine.

I hope you got some answers that were helpful OP!