For some a delay of several hours before the low happens. One thing not mentioned is the liver can only process about a pint or so per hour of beer or the equivalent of hard liquor. Drink 4 beers or shots in an hour or two and your liver is tied up for the next 4 hours or so. Get in one or two more before last call and your liver could be tied up till morning. In the meantime on board insulin is still chugging away.
Hi Tom,
I'm 23 and also barely drink, but will have something to be social. If that's what you're going for, having a beer or a glass of wine is really the way to go. I never bolus for wine and notice no problems. If I have more than a glass, I'll notice my BG might drop a little a couple hours later, but nothing too drastic. With a beer, just pay attention maybe take just a little insulin. I actually had a light beer last night and didn't take any insulin and I was just fine. Probably the way to start out is try some beer or wine, don't bolus, and see what happens, and adjust for the next time. I never plan to be drunk, and so it's just like experimenting with a different food.
It sounds like you just want to be social--not get drunk. If this is the case a beer or wine here or there is nothing to worry about.
I also use a dexcom, which has really eased my fears about drinking. I barely had ever had a drink before I got it, and at least now I know that if something starts to go wrong, I'll know in advance or right away! It's a huge help, for more than just drinking, of course!
Good luck!
Sophie
I am glad you posted this, I am new to type 1 (LADA) whatever you want to call it but I have been pondering the alcohol issue, I like to drink, I used to drink, I hate that I have to think about drinking now and not just pour a glass of wine and relax, I don't have much to offer as for advice, since being dx I have had one lite beer and I don't even like beer, blech, it had no impact on my levels though so I think I will venture into a glass or 2 of wine and see how that works out, I may make my husband stay up all night to make sure I don't lapse into a coma though ;) kidding.....sorta haha
I just turned 21 May 22nd and I somehow managed to survive despite that being my first time drinking since being diagnosed. Haha. All jokes aside, I learned what to do and what not to do from my 21st birthday antics. Let me cover my opinions on the drinks of choice.
Shots. Oh mannn, on my birthday, my waiter made me a shot and swore it didn't have sugar in it. I took it and was like, "man, that was sweet. what was in it?" and he was like, "oh, just some peach schnapps, cranberry juice and vodka". Needless to say, I freaked out. I guess he thought when I asked about sugar I meant did he put sugar into it. Haha. I chilled at 400 most of that night. I was okay and drank water, but it was pretty scary. Since then, I've taken shots of vodka and as long as I snack with it, I'm fine.
Mixed drinks. Again, with the mistakes. I just got diagnosed in January, so I sort of had my 21st planned out. Because of that, I had a tough time getting a carb-free drink because I had planned on having a cocktail the day of my 21st. I had a long island iced tea (because in my mind it had more alcohol than sweetener haha), but I ended up at 380 and could not stop crying because high blood sugar makes me emotional. Since then, I've had rum and diet coke or cherry vodka and diet coke, and that's good for me. The "flavored" vodkas generally aren't sugary as long as they're not schnapps.
Beer. I drink Terrapin if I'm drinking beer. It has tons of carbs. Granted, if I want multiple beers, I'll allow myself to have one Terrapin, bolus for it, but then I switch to Michelob Ultra! They have flavors. Yum.
Wine. I drink red wine. It doesn't do anything to my numbers, and I don't have to bolus for it. Hurrah.
As for the theoretical idea of the carbs in drinks balancing out the drop in blood sugar later, that's what I thought but NOOO. That lag time is critical. It takes several hours for your blood sugar to drop and even with hard liquor where it does so pretty quickly, do you understand how much sugar is in sugary drink? It's hard to fathom. All that sugar equals a spike to 400 and then it comes down less drastically than it came up and takes a long time. I mean, it WILL come down, but if you're like me, any number over say 250 is cause for panic.
Lastly, I think there is a difference in drinking when you're on shots or on the pump. I myself am on the pump, so I don't have any pesky Lantus floating around to make my sugar crash uncontrollably. If I'm going to have one or two drinks, I don't decrease my basal and simply watch my Dexcom for a trend (up or down) to determine whether a decrease is needed or if I should test and possibly bolus more for what I'm eating/drinking. If I intend to go out with my friends and have a good 21-year-old time (haha not every night, but occasionally), I decrease my basal and if I'm nervous, I let it run high. Before I go to bed, I also eat a snack, usually peanut butter crackers because there's carbs there for the short-term and protein/fat to get me through the night. I also wake up sometime a few hours later just to double check. That being said, my Dexcom makes me feel a little safer given that I have it set to alarm if my blood sugar decreases too rapidly or if it gets low.
Overall, though, have a good time. Drinking isn't good for anyone as far as I'm concerned, but non-diabetics do it and so can diabetics, but like with anything, us diabetics have to be a lot more responsible. :P
P.S. I hope this advice helps clear up some stuff, but everyone is different. I know some friends who have to bolus even for a light beer, whereas others can drink a cocktail and be okay without the spike. Just be careful. And if you're ever throwing up, test and if your numbers are high, check for ketones. If in doubt of whether you'll be okay, I'd say just go to the hospital. Better safe than sorry! Good luck!
thanks for all the great information guys!
How about getting drunk? how does that go? ... not that i'm planning on it :p
Hi Tom. If you think that you're going to get drunk, be sure to have a companion who knows how to help you. You've probably already read the horror (but real) stories about law enforcement thinking that a person who is actually low is drunk; a lot of possibilities for disaster here, low drunk whatever. Better to plan to be moderate.
IT sort of goes the same, it's important to remember to test a lot. If you are $#@!hammered and are dancing on the tables or whatever, it can be a drag to stop to test but it's better than passing out and waking up $#@!hammered in the emergency room with a bunch of other $#@!hammered &*%^$?@#$%^+!
Getting drunk is usually the end result... I don't know a lot of 22 year old that just have one or two when they go out drinking--- I sure didn't. Just realize drinking isn't a contest or a race and the goal isn't to get as wasted as possible... took me a few years to figure that one out myself
Right, the goal isn't to get as wasted as possible, which= vomiting all over the place. The goal is to pull up just short of that and get as wasted as possible without vomiting all over the place. With diabetes, as long as you are testing a lot and bolusing to keep up with it, it can work out but, if you overestimate the insulin, you can end up in the horrible hypo but as wasted as possible without vomiting all over yourself but something acidic like orange juice can break the camel's back...
I do not recommend vomitting all over the place. Chics don't dig it.
The first time I drank, I was 16, and had been diabetic for all of 8 or 9 months? 1969. Great year! Anyway, I went to a party with a boy I'd met at boarding school and beyond the second drink, blacked out totally. When I woke everything was white. And I had a catheter in?! The staff at the hospital was smug as all get out. "Have fun last night?" etc. Totally scary/humiliating. This experience created a serious WATCH-PERSON in my head. who resides there still. I drink, but my Guardian Angel bayonets me if I don't keep track of my bg's. Mostly I stick to beer. Stout. So yummy! Good luck.
This is making me hungry for wings and beer. Granted it's only 9:00am, but I need to go find some wings.
I've always wondered this ... but honestly, the only way I can think of it is that it's just pure sugar... like when you are low and just have candy or glucose and your bloodsugar goes right back down without protein or carbs. It's like liquid sugar crud and you pee it right out.
I don't even bolus when I drink a sugary drink because I end up low every single time. See this blog post I wrote earlier this year:
http://www.tudiabetes.org/profiles/blogs/really-sarah-really
If I stick to seltzer water with vodka, it doesn't do anything to my sugars and I stay hydrated.
Hi Tom,
I'm 21 years old and just recently graduated from college. For me, navigating the world of drinking in college has been one of the most challenging parts of having diabetes. I've made plenty of mistakes, but through them I've figured out what works for me. As others have said, alcohol will block the liver from performing gluconeogenesis. When blood glucose drops, gluconeogenesis can be used to contribute glucose to the blood to return levels to normal. However, alcohol prevents the liver from converting non-carbohydrate sources into glucose, thus preventing a rise in blood glucose. Alcohol consumption may result in delayed blood glucose drops because the alcohol remains in the body for a period of time.
I've woken up with low blood sugars in the middle of the night and I've experienced lows the next day after a night out. But it's all helped me figure out what works for me. Typically, I drink rum and diet cokes or light beer. I never bolus for beer and I never get the really sugary mixed drinks. If I notice that my blood sugar is dropping, I will sometimes get a rum and regular coke. It is definitely good advice to have a full meal before you go out. If you are planning to get drunk, make sure your friends know the symptoms of hypoglycemia. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between being drunk and being low, but I have a great group of friends who are always making sure that I check my blood sugar. (Sometimes it can get annoying but it's better than the alternative). Also, I always wear my medic alert bracelet. That way in case I pass out somewhere because I'm low people won't think I'm just another drunk person passed out in a ditch. The best advice I can give is to pay attention to your body and figure out what works for you!
Good luck,
Angie
Hi Tom, I am like the vast majority of people here who don't find a light beer or glass of wine really effects their blood sugar. Since my husband is gluten sensitive I have found a new product Michelob Ultra Light Cider. It has 10 grams of carbs and is really light and refreshing best of all it is gluten free.It's just hard apple cider. I usually just add the carbs in with the rest of the meal and figure from there. I stay away from margaritas or pina coladas, mai tais or any of the drinks on the special menu at the Chinese food restaurant. But a vodka with diet tonic water is barely any carbs at all. I was diagnosed at 14 years old and got the same lecture about alcohol and diabetes at which point I asked "what does pot do to your blood sugar ?" My very wise endo at the time said " I really don't know, but I am sure the munchies afterwards will make your blood sugar high".
Drinking and Diabetes, there should be a guide to this. Unfortunately we are different in the ways that it effects us and our BG. If I drink, I always eat beforehand. My Dexcom is with me at all times, and I let my BG run high i.e.. around 160/180. Remember as some of the other posts have stated, drinking can effect your BG for over 24 hours, as I can attest to after tying a few good ones on. Now that I am a bit older, drinking isn't so important. I enjoy beer, a good wine, Manhattans, Martinis, or Bourbon and diet coke. I stay away from the sugary drinks. They drive my BG crazy!
Hi mate,
Well whilst I was at university I was not as conscientiousness as I am now I about my health and I used to get hammered drunk regularly..
I just made sure I tried not to drink on an empty stomach, that I tested during the night and that I had carbs before I went to bed.
I still drink now but not as much. I drink Coors Light and whisky mostly, neither seem to have any impact on BSs apart from lowering it a few hours later.
Guess you will have to find out what works for you. Just test and make sure you have carbs on board if you are going to be hitting the heavy stuff.
It is a problem yes, an another example of how diabetes interferes in almost every aspect of life. I can not be giving medical advice about how much alcohol drinking is OK with this disease or not, but just know that we need to remove these limitations.
I concur!
I choose Vodka for myself.It seems to effect my diabetes the least, but is still unpredictable. Can have exact same circumstances and sugar will rise one time and fall drastically the next. BE AWARE OF WHAT YOUR SUGARS ARE DOING. Another tip is to make sure your friends know what to do if you do pass out and have life savers to put in your cheek once they have you in the recovery position. Make sure they will not be afraid to call 911 if they don't know if you are just drunken passed out or Blood Sugar passed out.
my simple reply: i go to Alcoholics Anonymous and havent had a drink since 1987. it works well for me, as i dont have to bother calculating for anything as far as liquor goes.(and that includes wine and beer)