I went through the same decision making quandry. Talking to friends and family made it worse because everyone has their own opinion/fear about this subject - most of which was not based on facts.
Even after meeting with my surgeon I was still torn. The lap band seemed so much less evasive while rerouting intestine is serious business and permanent. When I met with my surgeon and after asking me a few questions about my eating habits, he recommended the bypass over band. With my love for sweets and snack foods, the band would require a greater amount of willpower to steer clear of my favs as it was easier to learn how to cheat (and let me tell you, if there is a way to sneak in chocolate I will figure it out!).
What REALLY helped me decide on gastric bypass was reading through the threads in these forums and going to the support groups in my area for both and listening to the experiences shared in the groups. After listening to several banders mention some of the stuff they were able to eat or drink less than a year out from thier surgery convinced me that I needed a little more physical "accountability" - I don't want to be eating KFC or drinking mixed cocktails 6 months from now and then sitting in a group meeting upset because I'm stalled in my weight loss!
My surgery is scheduled for July 13 - and while I'm confident that gastric bypass is the better option for me - still a little bit scared about actually doing it.
I'm still scouring all the forums and googling weight loss surgery to read all I can about the good, bad and ugly.