I constantly sipped throughout the day right after surgery and for months after. At 5 years I can drink normal but not guzzle. Not sure what you mean by normal drink but tea you can drink for sure. Peppermint tea is great for the stomach. At first you won't be able to get 64 oz a day so you just have to get as much as you can 1 oz at a time. Immediately post op I used one of those little 1 oz pill cups to sip an ounce every 15 min or so. Then I went to 2 oz and so on as I could drink more every 15 min. Even now I don't drink a whole cup at once and of course not every 15 minutes. That was only early post op.

Thanks
when I say normal I just mean non fizzy fluids, more quantities I was thinking, ie a glass of milk or water etc etc

I, too, sip, sip, sipped all day, every day for months and months. Kept a small water bottle at hand all day long, in the car, on walks, at the store, everywhere, to remind me to sip.
After about a year, I was able to drink 4 oz./1/2 cup at a time, so that made it easier to stay hydrated.
I had the sleeve, and can now drink a cup of water in 20 minutes or so, so it's easy to get my 64 oz. or more each day, but I still pay serious attention to not drinking after a meal! The guidelines said half an hour, but I do better if I wait 45 minutes to an hour.

I never had a problem getting enough to drink post-op. However, I only wanted hot or room temperature drinks for about the first year. I've always been a constant sipper, though.

One warning: one of the easiest ways "around the pouch" is to drink calories. Other than my daily protein drink or a glass of red wine, I don't drink calories (I pretty much stick to water).

JJ