Alcohol

[emily deacon]

Hey guys, what’s everyone’s experience with normal gin as a type 1 diabetic? also pink gin (or any gin with fruit flavours) does it affect blood sugars much?

 

[Knikki]

Like many things with being a T1D things like alcohol effect differnt people in different ways.

As a rule any alcohol will bring your BSL down and as gin is a spirt I would think it would certainly do that.

By how much will depend on , how much you drink, your ability to metabalise alchohol, how big or small you are, how dilute the gin is etc etc etc

If you are out and about drinking I would just keep and eye on your BSL, with regular checks.

Have fun

 

[Deleted Account]

When I drink it, the short term impact of gin (with no carb mixer) is nothing.
However, as @Knikki mentions alcohol can lower BG over the next 12 to 24 hours.
This is because our livers don't like alcohol and they cannot multi-task. Therefore, as they deal with the alcohol, they are not dripping glucose into our blood streams.
I have not tried pink gin but as it is normally flavoured with agostora bitters, I would not expect to see any difference.
The only fruit gin I tried is a small taste of rhubarb gin. I can confirm it tasted very nice but I did not have enough to know the impact on my BG.

If you feel the urge for some "research tasting", please report back ... and consider it your duty to the community.

 

[LooperCat]

I’d highly recommend Brecon gin

 

[rosco 2]

Red wine seems to have little effect upon my bg.
I am grateful for that treat most evenings.

 

[DCUKMod]

Hey guys, what’s everyone’s experience with normal gin as a type 1 diabetic? also pink gin (or any gin with fruit flavours) does it affect blood sugars much?

Emily - The others have responded about gin per se, but I'd like to chip in about the pink gins and other sorts of infusion gins.

Please be careful of the "designer" gins, because several appear to be mixtures of gin and liquers, the latter of which tend to be very sugary.

I have made several gin infusions myself (I mean, doesn't everyone love a bit of an experiment?!?) My favourite was rhubarb and ginger, followed by the current iteration of cherry gin, and my least fave was sour apple and cardamom.

For me, if any of those require additional sweetness, like the rhubarb option, I used stevia, as opposed to sugar.

There are lots of recipes out there for these infused drinks, and liquers, if those are your thing, if you just Google what you want.

The infused fruit,s, left over from the infusion are very alcoholic, with the only one near palataable was the cherry. Those would have been delicious in a trifle - low carb version for me.

(Of course, this entry makes me sound like a real old soak, but I only make, say, 200ml at a time, to ensure I like it, or not, as the case may be, and my OH also likes to try them out - honest!)

 

[LooperCat]

I’m going to try making sloe gin with xylitol or erythritol this year. I really miss it.

I tend to drink dry rosé if I’m drinking - or rum, single malt whisky or brandy. But as @helensaramay said, just be aware that you’re slightly more prone to hypos the day after. I have found it squashes dawn phenomenon quite well, but of course I wouldn’t dream of drinking to stop that...

 

[Juicyj]

My personal issue with gin is the tonic - if I have a full fat tonic then this can raise my BG levels so always have slimline, I also tend to avoid gins which have been flavoured with sugar syrup mixes, pink gin on the whole is ok but look at the label to find out more about it before I consume it.

 

[Jaylee]

Funny enough, I was given a 70cl bottle of pink gin as a gift. But have refrained from trying the stuff out.

I know where I am with normal G&slT certain wines & voddy/Dcoke.

As mentioned above. Keep a close eye on your blood sugars. Booze can mask a hypo & the drop due to the buisy liver can be fast?

Have safe fun!

 

[PenguinMum]

I like a gin and tonc but can only drink it at home because EVERY pub in our area stocks only Fevertree mixer. Their “naturally light” mixer is anything but. Be warned. The only carb free tonic is Schweppes Slimline. I have considered but havent yet sneaked in a couple of mini cans of Schweppes in my handbag lol. My husband says women used to sneak in miniatures of spirits in their handbags in the old days to pep up their soft drinks. I have the opposite problem.

 

[Birdwoman]

I do not like Gin but I do like - White Port - ice - tonic (slimline) - slice of lemon and a sprig of mint!! Lovely long drink for warm evenings. I don't have it very often but when I do it's a lovely treat.

 

[emily deacon]

thank you everyone!!

 

[Antje77]

I like a gin and tonc but can only drink it at home because EVERY pub in our area stocks only Fevertree mixer. Their “naturally light” mixer is anything but. Be warned. The only carb free tonic is Schweppes Slimline. I have considered but havent yet sneaked in a couple of mini cans of Schweppes in my handbag lol. My husband says women used to sneak in miniatures of spirits in their handbags in the old days to pep up their soft drinks. I have the opposite problem.

One of my best friends doesn't drink alcohol and his favourite drink is alcohol free beer. Not every bar or restaurant serves that, so he simply takes a couple of cans with him and hands them over to the bartender and tells them he's willing to pay for it. He then orders his own beer, sometimes they charge him for it, sometimes not and sometimes half. If they don't charge he makes sure to tip generously.
You could just as easily do this with your mixer, especially when you tell them you can't have carbs

 

[PenguinMum]

One of my best friends doesn't drink alcohol and his favourite drink is alcohol free beer. Not every bar or restaurant serves that, so he simply takes a couple of cans with him and hands them over to the bartender and tells them he's willing to pay for it. He then orders his own beer, sometimes they charge him for it, sometimes not and sometimes half. If they don't charge he makes sure to tip generously.
You could just as easily do this with your mixer, especially when you tell them you can't have carbs

Good thinking Antje! I should be braver. When we stayed in Cornwall recently I did the tell the bar manager of our hotel that I was diabetic and would be using my own mixers of which I had brought a pack. He informed all the bar staff and offered to keep them in their fridge. But we ended ip carting most of them back home again. As my husband wryly remarked who bothers to take tonic on holiday but no gin!