We ran an article this morning on Diabetes News Hound about a new study that concluded that moderate alcohol consumption can actually stave off type two diabetes for people with prediabetes. You can read the news here.
It got me to wondering about the drinking habits of people with all types of diabetes. How often do you drink? And, how does that impact your blood sugar?
OTHER HEADLINES FROM DIABETES NEWS HOUND FOR OCT. 14, 2009
Diabetes Lower in Communities With Sidewalks, Healthy Foods
I usually have a glass of wine with dinner every night. An occassional Dark 'n Stormy on the w/e (rum and ginger beer). I don’t find the wine has much impact on my BG’s - I just have to make sure when I drink alcohol (rum, gin, etc.) - that it’s the mix that goes along with the drink that can cause my BG’s to rise if I don’t give insulin to cover that carb bit of the drink. As most of us know, alcohol can cause your BG’s to dip - but then it has the reverse effect later on of bringing it up. Again, moderation is the key factor here in consuming alcohol. If you can’t control yourself with how much you guzzle, it’s probably best to avoid alcohol or just drink a wine spritzer.
How often do you have a drink and how does it effect your BG Chris - now that I’ve coughed up my story .
I’ve been advised by doctors to have 1-2 glasses of dry red wine every night. I’ve read studies that indicate that the benefits actually accrue up to four glasses of wine a day. These benefits are increased HDL and improved CVD risks. I don’t think any doctor would advise four glasses. I’m sorry, but when all the recommended diabetic treatments involve sticking yourself with a lancet or a needle or at best, coughing down some horse pills, you have to excuse me for actually enjoying one of the only pleasurable treatments I’ve ever had.
I drink beer fairly regularly, and I am lamenting the fqact that I might need to cut this out of my life unless I get some method of dealing with the carbs in the beer vs. the inevitable low that I get because of them.
Wine, because it has much less carbs than the beer I drink usually does not effect me much, if at all.
Never. I have to many stomach problems to handle alcohol in my stomach.
I will have a glass of wine, a beer, or a gin and diet tonic in the evening 4-5 nights a week. The diet G&T doesn’t really have any carbs to speak of, so I don’t worry about taking it into account in my carb count on the plus side. I have found that my glucose levels are definitely lower (in a good way, not hypo) at bed time and when I wake up in the morning after a night that I have had one or at most two drinks. That seems to be about the limit for me - any more than that, and I wake up in the 60 range in the morning.
By the way, I am definitely still in the “honeymoon” phase of LADA, and I am only doing one daily Lantus injection. If I end up drinking more than two drinks over the course of a weekend day, I will reduce my Lantus by several units to reduce the inevitable morning low.
We don’t drink at all. My T1 husband has been advised not to. I don’t drink in support of him.
I have a glass of wine, usually red, 3-4 times/week with dinner.
Hey Christopher - Like others have said here - beer is the bad one for me - in the amount of carbs - but it’s so good (used to make my own - along with wine - no time for that now - sigh). I drink micro brew - best taste - and of course - was raised on Guiness as I worked in an engineering firm - where minds just come alive after a few brewskies. There’s a group here called Diabetes and Beer started up by Abe McKinnon incase some of you aren’t aware of it.
Like you say tho’, alcohol drains of us moisture, we have to put a sticky note on our forehead to remember to drink water - and a few aspirins before retiring to bed - so we have better BG’s the next day ! I have to admit - I go on less benders now then when I was young - I’m slowly growing up! 
Never. I prefer to chew my calories.
I rarely drink but I have a nieghbor that invited my husband and I over.I had only 1 and it sent my sugar up a little.I’m glad I don’t have a problem with drinking because I’d be in big trouble health wise.