Question

[Snoozie]

Hi everyone . I'm Snoozie.. have not set up profile yet BUT.. Just signed in to this site... Going to have surgery soon... I'm struggling with not having any wine or alcohol for what like six months?? I like a " little " to destress! Snooze ... Any comments on this topic?

[EllisM80]

I feel like you need to figure out what is more important to you. Your health? Or wine? Maybe find another way to "destress"?

[Dutchie]

Definitely find another way to destress.
Not only is alcohol empty calories, but you are also at risk for alcohol addiction, which is easy to get after wls.
There is always going to be a "stressor" around, that's life...

[JessNP]

Strongly agree with Michele and Dutchie! You MUST give up alcohol for awhile. It's recommended to stop 1 month pre-op and stay dry for 1 year post-op. I wasn't happy about it either. My husband and I love our margaritas and were regular fixtures at our local watering hole. It was a challenge but now I am just about 7 days out and can't even imagine having any alcohol (but I'm sure I'll be tempted soon enough).

Post-sleeve, your body does not metabolize alcohol the same way and it takes significantly less to become intoxicated. Plus, alcohol can lead to ulcers and damage your freshly healing tummy. Lastly, there is a huge risk of "transfer addiction" in which alcohol addiction replaces a prior addiction to and/or unhealthy relationship with food. The latter is not fully understood but unfortunately is quite common and can truly destroy your life!

The first 6 - 18 months post-sleeve is a honeymoon period where weight comes off rapidly and easily. During this time, it is vitally important to establish healthier eating habits, exercise habits, and healthier lifestyle habits in general. Otherwise, you risk regaining most or all of the weight you'll lose with the surgery. You have to have your priorities in order and be able to fully commit to making the necessary changes. If you're not ready to do that yet, you should not have the surgery until you ARE ready, otherwise you will not be successful.

[sraebaer]

Do what they tell you, they know what they are talking about. Find another way to destress, like take a nice walk, or sit on the patio with your favorite non-alcholic drink and read a book or listen to the birds. (I love spring).

I have found out from experience that alcohol is super dangerous for us sleeved people. We no longer have a normal person's stomach. We can't tolerate the alcohol. Please don't start. It's a small price to pay for your health. (Or not to be dead).

[WANAGL]

Welcome to the best gs forum!

I made a commitment to myself to be the best example of a healthy individual in mind, body and spirit. Translation (for me) that means I had to make a decision about what my first priority was. I chose me!

Best of luck as you embark on this amazing journey ;-)

[Ann2]

Hey, Snoozie. Welcome.

The following summarizes for your benefit my own experience with alcohol pre- and post-op.

I'm a one glass of wine a night girl. And by that, I mean 5 ounces, not 8 ounces or 12 ounces. Never had a problem with that amount of wine or drinking habitually more than that. Before WLS or since.

However, as I approached my VSG surgery five years ago, I eschewed all alcohol for 6.5 months. It was not a big deal to me.

Now, almost five years post-op, I drink one glass of wine a night. Five ounces, not 8 or 12 ounces, and my body and behavior are none the worse for it.

I think you really SHOULD consider how much you're willing to change your lifestyle because of your WLS -- and I'm not talking just about alcohol. We all have to change what we eat and drink because of the surgery in one or more ways. Some people are deeply devoted to Mountain Dew or Diet Coke -- and those are definitely no-nos after VSG because of their acidity and their carbonation. Some people (cough!) are deeply devoted to dark chocolate and learn that they just can't have that stuff in the house anymore. Or beer. Or sourdough bread. Or Triscuits. Or biscotti. Or tortilla chips. Or .........

There are some other non-alcoholic ways to destress that we ALL should learn about and master. For example, meditation is a great thing to do for destressing. Breathing deeply and rhythmically works, too. Exercise is a wonderful destresser. Listening to music ditto. Instructions and information about all these destressors are available online. The Google is your friend.

Short version: Give up alcohol for six months. You'll survive.

[KiwiGal]

I guess it all depends how successful you want to be after your surgery.
If you look at the big picture (the rest of your, hopefully long, life!) 6-12 months without alcohol is not a big thing.
I don't drink alcohol any more and I don't miss it.....but that is me. I could have a glass of something if I wanted but it is just empty calories to me and I would rather fuel my body with good tasty healthy food.
If you really think that it is going to be a problem then perhaps you should address it now. Going without alcohol is not the only life change that you are going to have to make. The sleeve is a great tool but you are going to have to put in some work and make some lifestyle changes for it to be successful long term.
Life throws stresses at us all the time and we need to find ways to deal with it that don't involve food (for me!) or any alcohol etc.
I have recently started yoga classes and I love it. You just need to find something that works for you.
All the best.