The Serious Side of Alcohol After Weight Loss Surgery

Are you a heavy drinker who has undergone a Weight Loss Surgery (WLS)? In this case, you need to limit your alcohol consumption as alcohol may have a different effect on you after undergoing a WLS. It is common for a person to get quickly inebriated after consuming alcohol on an empty stomach as alcohol takes a long time to pass through the stomach into the intestines, where the processing occurs. Hence, after having a WLS, the chance of this phenomenon increases because your stomach is made smaller and holds lesser food. This is common after a gastric bypass surgery or a gastric sleeve surgery. The effect of the alcohol is much stronger.

How it happens?
Alcohol gets partially metabolized in the stomach, but the processing which is undergone in the stomach is not enough for inebriation. The real processing takes place in the small intestine, when the stomach processes food. The small intestine’s opening remains closed most of the time in order to retain food in the stomach, so that the digestive juices can break it down. When the food is passed on to the small intestine, the gap is filled up by alcohol. The alcohol follows the food into the small intestine. A steady flow of alcohol is created, which is responsible for making us feel drunk. In gastric bypass patients, compared to normal people, the effect of alcohol is experienced faster and the level of alcohol in the blood gets enhanced.

Several changes occur in our body after a WLS and the changes keep on occurring as the weight reduces. The body becomes much more sensitive to small changes that occur. The body responds more to different smells and chemicals. Further, alcohol also cause health hazards. It is a carbohydrate having no nutritional value, which leads to an increase in weight.

After having a weight loss surgery, it is quite possible for many people to become alcoholic, in spite of not having any history of being an alcoholic. Chances are that a person who is already in the habit of drinking, will become more likely to develop the habit of drinking alcohol in excess. After a WLS, a person should be very careful about his or her drinking habits as drinking one or two glasses of wine may cause the same effect as that of drinking six to seven glasses. It is important to let close friends and family members know about the problem as they may be able to help you with proper control and management of alcoholism. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Dietitian/Nutritionist.