Alcohol & Bariatric Surgery? Does your capacity increase or decrease? How to handle?

 Doctor: Today we are going to discuss about Weight Loss Surgery (MGB-OAGB) and Alcohol intake.

Alcohol intake after Bariatric surgery. Some people say that their alcohol intake increased after this surgery while others say that they don't like alcohol after surgery. God has blessed me with maximum experience about alcohol intake because alcohol has become a trend these days and every other person drinks alcohol. Patient: Yes! Doctor: It has been 13 years to your surgery? Patient: Yes! Doctor: It has been 4 years to your surgery? Patient: Yes! Doctor: How much weight have you lost? Patient: Before surgery my weight was 135 Kg and now it is 72 Kg. Doctor: It is like one person is out from another. You lost 63 Kg. How much was your weight before surgery? Patient: Before surgery, my weight was 126 Kg. Doctor: How much is your weight now? Patient: Today my weight is 88 Kg. Doctor: Ok. It means you lost approximately 36-38 Kg weight. Patient: I lost approximately 40 Kg. Doctor: Your weight loss is good. Patient: Yes! Doctor: Can you eat like a normal person? Patient: Yes! Doctor: Can you eat chapatis with vegetables or pulses? Patient: Yes! Doctor: Now we will discuss about alcohol intake. You have got good control in alcohol intake. How many pegs do you take? Patient: Maximum 4 pegs a day. Doctor: Do you drink full bottle sometimes? Patient: No, not that much. Doctor: Were you drinking a full bottle of alcohol before surgery? Patient: Yes! Doctor: Ok. But as your wife discussed, you have issues with alcohol intake. Which was not a problem before surgery. Yes! Patient: After taking 2-3 pegs, I lost my senses. Doctor: After taking alcohol ! Patient: Yes! Doctor: There is science behind this and we need to understand this. This is all because of weight loss. As we know that we give medication dose to everyone according to age and body weight. Patient: Ok. Doctor: Secondly, internal design is changed. Do you feel the kick in a small amount or immediately after having a peg? Patient: No. Doctor: You don't feel like this? Patient: No. I feel like I am okay after having 2 pegs. Doctor: After 2 pegs? Patient: Yes! after 2 pegs of 30ml. Doctor: Have you experienced the same that alcohol hits you more in small quantities? Patient: Yes! it feels after 2 pegs. Doctor: Ok. Patient: Yes! Doctor: Your body tells you that I am okay now. Patient: Yes! Doctor: Here comes the difference in people. One person who thinks I wanted a hit and I got it, so he stops drinking and goes to sleep. Do you drink more alcohol after getting hit? Patient: Yes! I take 1-2 pegs after that. Doctor: The brain thinks that before surgery you used to drink more and you can drink more now. It feels like you haven't drunk enough. This is where you got confused. But if you started drinking more and more, then one-day alcohol will drink you. If you drink alcohol within a limit, that's fine. You should understand that it is all mindset. You feel kick when you drink alcohol. It increases the level of happiness hormones. The book "Dopamine Nation" is written by an American author on the topic of living life happily. Even we eat food to feel good. We do everything in our life to feel satisfied. It includes alcohol intake too. We feel satisfied at a point, next time we want it slightly upward. Patient: Ok. Doctor: This also happens when it comes to money. We want more and more money for satisfaction. Like I felt good on my cycle in my childhood and I never get that feel in any car. It means the level of satisfaction goes upward. Patient: Yes! Doctor: So, you need to control your mind. There are many medications to help a person. So if you can't do it by your own you can take help of doctors and go to de-addiction centers. But according to me, if you want to control it, you can do it. You can see him that he is taking in control from last 13 years. Have you drunk a full bottle in these 13 years? Patient: No, never. Doctor: But there are many patients who used to drink 2 bottles a day before surgery and after surgery, they are doing the same. Patient: Ok. Doctor: Sometimes you can knock out after drinking more alcohol and someone will take you home. Then you will think that this happened after surgery. Then I can say only one thing, that this surgery is a reversible procedure. But the medical benefits which you got after weight loss like controlled Diabetes etc. will come back. Patient: Ok. Doctor: This surgery is like a luxury car, if you drive it well and take care of it, it will last longer. You need to take care of it. Take supplements regularly and get blood tests done every 6 months. Patient: Ok.