Has anyone found a reliable strategy with beer?

[DexcomGavin]

This evening, I thought it would be nice to go to my lovely, civilised, cosy local pub and have two pints of Charles Wells Dry Hopped Lager while reading a book. Obviously, for someone without diabetes this would be a very straightforward affair. You just go to the pub, have your two beers, then walk home and everything's fine.

For me, however, it was a bit of a disaster. It had gone a bit high from my evening meal but it was 12.3 when I ordered my first drink and I gave two units of Novorapid, thinking one unit per pint would be fine and the insulin I gave from my evening meal would still be working anyway, so it was best not give too much.

Once I sat down I noticed my Freestyle Libre saying 10.7 with the arrow pointing 45 degrees down so I thought, phew, it will be in the target range soon enough.

I started reading my book and tried to enjoy myself and not think about diabetes. When I got up to order the second pint my high glucose alarm was going off and I thought, wait, what?

It had then gone back up to about 15.1 so I gave another two units, now throwing the original plan out of the window. I thought, all that matters now is getting it down.

As I type this, it's 12.2 with the arrow pointing directly down, so I guess it will end up fine but even so... All this just for trying to have to lagers in a pub with a book like a normal person. I've had Type 1 diabetes for 19 years and still haven't settled on a reliable method. Just to be clear, there have been times where I've had far more than two pints and it's been a diabetes masterclass, between 5 and 9 all evening without even going low at the end of the night. This year, I was at a beer festival of all things and it was 8.4 at the start and about 6.8 four hours later, and that included food as well. So it can be done. But when that happens it feels more like dumb luck than actually having a plan and the plan working.

And for anyone thinking of saying "Just don't drink alcohol, you've got diabetes" or "Just drink something else", that's not an answer to my question. I am asking, does anyone drink beer as their alcoholic drink of choice and have you found a reliable method of avoiding spikes or hypos?

I've had diabetes 42 years. I love to have a drink. Here are my rules of thumb to keep sugar under control.
Don't drink beer.
Drink lager (Peroni, San Miguel, Asahi, Heineken etc), dry wine, spirits (with diet mixers).
Don't snack (crisps etc)
As a side note - chasing your blood sugar by injecting is never a good strategy as your blood sugar falls slower than it rises and if you have multiple top ups trying to get it under control you're never quite sure if the previous ones have finished working their way through and you end up with a yo-yo effect of lows and highs. Best not to get into that situation.

 

[Captain_Sensible]

This evening, I thought it would be nice to go to my lovely, civilised, cosy local pub and have two pints of Charles Wells Dry Hopped Lager while reading a book. Obviously, for someone without diabetes this would be a very straightforward affair. You just go to the pub, have your two beers, then walk home and everything's fine.

For me, however, it was a bit of a disaster. It had gone a bit high from my evening meal but it was 12.3 when I ordered my first drink and I gave two units of Novorapid, thinking one unit per pint would be fine and the insulin I gave from my evening meal would still be working anyway, so it was best not give too much.

Once I sat down I noticed my Freestyle Libre saying 10.7 with the arrow pointing 45 degrees down so I thought, phew, it will be in the target range soon enough.

I started reading my book and tried to enjoy myself and not think about diabetes. When I got up to order the second pint my high glucose alarm was going off and I thought, wait, what?

It had then gone back up to about 15.1 so I gave another two units, now throwing the original plan out of the window. I thought, all that matters now is getting it down.

As I type this, it's 12.2 with the arrow pointing directly down, so I guess it will end up fine but even so... All this just for trying to have to lagers in a pub with a book like a normal person. I've had Type 1 diabetes for 19 years and still haven't settled on a reliable method. Just to be clear, there have been times where I've had far more than two pints and it's been a diabetes masterclass, between 5 and 9 all evening without even going low at the end of the night. This year, I was at a beer festival of all things and it was 8.4 at the start and about 6.8 four hours later, and that included food as well. So it can be done. But when that happens it feels more like dumb luck than actually having a plan and the plan working.

And for anyone thinking of saying "Just don't drink alcohol, you've got diabetes" or "Just drink something else", that's not an answer to my question. I am asking, does anyone drink beer as their alcoholic drink of choice and have you found a reliable method of avoiding spikes or hypos?

Hi Robert!
I've been type 1 on insulin for 63 years now so speak with quite a lot of experience on this matter. Back in the early days I used to go to the pub sometimes on my own or with friends- and have my 2 pints and
maybe a meal as well. This was well before Libre of course and if I'm totally honest- my diabetes was all over the place with me pubbing it. I very soon learned despite warnings;,that alcohol and Type 1 simply don't mix - so much so that 30 years ago I gave up alcohol altogether. My diabetes control as a result of that informed decision I made back then- has been pretty much spot on. I also found that if you are in company it is perfectly acceptable to drink a glass or two of Diet Coke or similar. I don't have to worry about getting a foggy head or glucose spikes through drinking alcohol anymore and as a result you can relax and enjoy yourself and the company you find yourself with. I would strongly advise you to do the same Bud. Common sense really

 

[nicktot]

This evening, I thought it would be nice to go to my lovely, civilised, cosy local pub and have two pints of Charles Wells Dry Hopped Lager while reading a book. Obviously, for someone without diabetes this would be a very straightforward affair. You just go to the pub, have your two beers, then walk home and everything's fine.

For me, however, it was a bit of a disaster. It had gone a bit high from my evening meal but it was 12.3 when I ordered my first drink and I gave two units of Novorapid, thinking one unit per pint would be fine and the insulin I gave from my evening meal would still be working anyway, so it was best not give too much.

Once I sat down I noticed my Freestyle Libre saying 10.7 with the arrow pointing 45 degrees down so I thought, phew, it will be in the target range soon enough.

I started reading my book and tried to enjoy myself and not think about diabetes. When I got up to order the second pint my high glucose alarm was going off and I thought, wait, what?

It had then gone back up to about 15.1 so I gave another two units, now throwing the original plan out of the window. I thought, all that matters now is getting it down.

As I type this, it's 12.2 with the arrow pointing directly down, so I guess it will end up fine but even so... All this just for trying to have to lagers in a pub with a book like a normal person. I've had Type 1 diabetes for 19 years and still haven't settled on a reliable method. Just to be clear, there have been times where I've had far more than two pints and it's been a diabetes masterclass, between 5 and 9 all evening without even going low at the end of the night. This year, I was at a beer festival of all things and it was 8.4 at the start and about 6.8 four hours later, and that included food as well. So it can be done. But when that happens it feels more like dumb luck than actually having a plan and the plan working.

And for anyone thinking of saying "Just don't drink alcohol, you've got diabetes" or "Just drink something else", that's not an answer to my question. I am asking, does anyone drink beer as their alcoholic drink of choice and have you found a reliable method of avoiding spikes or hypos?

Yup, not easy. I find that once BS going high its hard to control. Assuming you're in range beforehand, I would take 2 to 3 units per pint, AND 30 mins beforehand.
Also, Non Alco beers (NABs

!) are much tastier nowadays and without alcohol, BS are easier to control. Good luck !

 

[Pam*]

Probably can't get these in a pub or restaurant but for use at home they are great.
SKINNY LAGER just 3g of carbohydrates per 330ml bottle or can. They taste great too and are low calorie.
I get mine from Amazon but some supermarkets stock them. https://skinnybrands.com/

 

[cjm039]

Accounting for the first two but not the next is a really interesting idea. I think I've kind of done that in the past without really realising it. I've given a dose at the beginning, noticed it's gone up then down. Then if I'm on the third pint and it's 4 or 5 I just go "Oh, I'll leave it now". So maybe this is the solution.

It should be possible, though, to have two quiet pints in the pub without the BG reaching 15 and 16. It's moments like this that I really feel like a disabled person with a terrible medical condition and that maybe I just shouldn't be attempting the things normal people do. It's very disheartening.

As somebody else said, you can do one thing today and it works, and do exactly same thing tomorrow and have a different result. I wouldn’t beat yourself up if you are genuinely in target most of the time and the elevated blood glucose was a flook! I tend to gauge 1u per pint of lager and then stop the quick acting if it drops to 4 or 5, but i don’t drink beer that much. I tend to stick with wine as doesn’t require any fast acting believe it or not! It’s one small blessing in this rubbish condition . All the best

 

[Zinadane]

I am surprised to see that a 750ml bottle of red can be as low as 15g carb!
For me, I tend to steer away from wine, especially at home as it becomes all to easy to consume the whole bottle!
Maybe I will retest myself though.
Couple of glasses of red and only 10g carb sounds good.

 

[cjm039]

I am surprised to see that a 750ml bottle of red can be as low as 15g carb!
For me, I tend to steer away from wine, especially at home as it becomes all to easy to consume the whole bottle!
Maybe I will retest myself though.
Couple of glasses of red and only 10g carb sounds good.

I promise you that no insulin is required for fizz, red or white. I have had a lot of practice with this and the only impact it has on me is lower blood sugars the next day if I have had more than two or three glasses

 

[Mike16632]

I know this is kind of off subject a tad but it may be worthy of a conversation.
I find that drinking dry red wine does not affect my blood sugars like beer & cider does, so i enjoy a glass or 2 several times during the week & weekend. I stay clear of cheap everyday reds like "Jammy Shed" as they still contain sugar.
Has anyone else noticed dry red wine doesnt affect them too much ??

 

[Simon Grey]

This evening, I thought it would be nice to go to my lovely, civilised, cosy local pub and have two pints of Charles Wells Dry Hopped Lager while reading a book. Obviously, for someone without diabetes this would be a very straightforward affair. You just go to the pub, have your two beers, then walk home and everything's fine.

For me, however, it was a bit of a disaster. It had gone a bit high from my evening meal but it was 12.3 when I ordered my first drink and I gave two units of Novorapid, thinking one unit per pint would be fine and the insulin I gave from my evening meal would still be working anyway, so it was best not give too much.

Once I sat down I noticed my Freestyle Libre saying 10.7 with the arrow pointing 45 degrees down so I thought, phew, it will be in the target range soon enough.

I started reading my book and tried to enjoy myself and not think about diabetes. When I got up to order the second pint my high glucose alarm was going off and I thought, wait, what?

It had then gone back up to about 15.1 so I gave another two units, now throwing the original plan out of the window. I thought, all that matters now is getting it down.

As I type this, it's 12.2 with the arrow pointing directly down, so I guess it will end up fine but even so... All this just for trying to have to lagers in a pub with a book like a normal person. I've had Type 1 diabetes for 19 years and still haven't settled on a reliable method. Just to be clear, there have been times where I've had far more than two pints and it's been a diabetes masterclass, between 5 and 9 all evening without even going low at the end of the night. This year, I was at a beer festival of all things and it was 8.4 at the start and about 6.8 four hours later, and that included food as well. So it can be done. But when that happens it feels more like dumb luck than actually having a plan and the plan working.

And for anyone thinking of saying "Just don't drink alcohol, you've got diabetes" or "Just drink something else", that's not an answer to my question. I am asking, does anyone drink beer as their alcoholic drink of choice and have you found a reliable method of avoiding spikes or hypos?

Hi Robert and everyone!
My strategy is just to go for it, and ignore the beer effect. Certainly don't panic about short-term highs, but let things settle a bit. Remember that your rapid insulin is not going to start working for 30 minutes after you take it and will peak somewhere between 1 and 2 hours later and tail off after that. So no point in having another shot in quick succession because the first one is not working yet! You also have to remember that alcohol will suppress liver function for 12 to 24 hours depending how much you have had and so if you have too much insulin then you are going to have to scoff carbs like nobody's business to avoid hypoing. Mr Google says there are 10 to 15 g of carbs in a pint of beer, so for me that would be 1 unit of insulin per pint, but as intake is probably slow, then my long-acting will probably take care of it.
In the final analysis, I take the view that if I am drinking so much beer that carbs are an issue, then the alcohol is much more of an issue, and the risk of a bad hypo when drunk is much higher than any risks associated with having BG a bit high. If it is really high and stable, then think about a small correction dose, but otherwise, just have more beer and it will be OK in the morning!
Not medically sound, but it is my approach!
Cheers, Simon (T1D for 18 years)

 

[Sully24]

This evening, I thought it would be nice to go to my lovely, civilised, cosy local pub and have two pints of Charles Wells Dry Hopped Lager while reading a book. Obviously, for someone without diabetes this would be a very straightforward affair. You just go to the pub, have your two beers, then walk home and everything's fine.

For me, however, it was a bit of a disaster. It had gone a bit high from my evening meal but it was 12.3 when I ordered my first drink and I gave two units of Novorapid, thinking one unit per pint would be fine and the insulin I gave from my evening meal would still be working anyway, so it was best not give too much.

Once I sat down I noticed my Freestyle Libre saying 10.7 with the arrow pointing 45 degrees down so I thought, phew, it will be in the target range soon enough.

I started reading my book and tried to enjoy myself and not think about diabetes. When I got up to order the second pint my high glucose alarm was going off and I thought, wait, what?

It had then gone back up to about 15.1 so I gave another two units, now throwing the original plan out of the window. I thought, all that matters now is getting it down.

As I type this, it's 12.2 with the arrow pointing directly down, so I guess it will end up fine but even so... All this just for trying to have to lagers in a pub with a book like a normal person. I've had Type 1 diabetes for 19 years and still haven't settled on a reliable method. Just to be clear, there have been times where I've had far more than two pints and it's been a diabetes masterclass, between 5 and 9 all evening without even going low at the end of the night. This year, I was at a beer festival of all things and it was 8.4 at the start and about 6.8 four hours later, and that included food as well. So it can be done. But when that happens it feels more like dumb luck than actually having a plan and the plan working.

And for anyone thinking of saying "Just don't drink alcohol, you've got diabetes" or "Just drink something else", that's not an answer to my question. I am asking, does anyone drink beer as their alcoholic drink of choice and have you found a reliable method of avoiding spikes or hypos?

Given that lager is high in sugar, have you tried real ale? I find that one pint of the real stuff is fine for me. I have to say though, I can’t stand lager. I used to drink it, but I discovered good ale.

 

[sammy704]

I haven't read through all of the responses, but maybe your experience was just a result of whatever you ate before you drank. Sometimes my sugar will be on its way down after a meal only to just do an about-face after I think I'm in the clear. Unfortunately, anything is possible.

 

[Paul Townsend]

This evening, I thought it would be nice to go to my lovely, civilised, cosy local pub and have two pints of Charles Wells Dry Hopped Lager while reading a book. Obviously, for someone without diabetes this would be a very straightforward affair. You just go to the pub, have your two beers, then walk home and everything's fine.

For me, however, it was a bit of a disaster. It had gone a bit high from my evening meal but it was 12.3 when I ordered my first drink and I gave two units of Novorapid, thinking one unit per pint would be fine and the insulin I gave from my evening meal would still be working anyway, so it was best not give too much.

Once I sat down I noticed my Freestyle Libre saying 10.7 with the arrow pointing 45 degrees down so I thought, phew, it will be in the target range soon enough.

I started reading my book and tried to enjoy myself and not think about diabetes. When I got up to order the second pint my high glucose alarm was going off and I thought, wait, what?

It had then gone back up to about 15.1 so I gave another two units, now throwing the original plan out of the window. I thought, all that matters now is getting it down.

As I type this, it's 12.2 with the arrow pointing directly down, so I guess it will end up fine but even so... All this just for trying to have to lagers in a pub with a book like a normal person. I've had Type 1 diabetes for 19 years and still haven't settled on a reliable method. Just to be clear, there have been times where I've had far more than two pints and it's been a diabetes masterclass, between 5 and 9 all evening without even going low at the end of the night. This year, I was at a beer festival of all things and it was 8.4 at the start and about 6.8 four hours later, and that included food as well. So it can be done. But when that happens it feels more like dumb luck than actually having a plan and the plan working.

And for anyone thinking of saying "Just don't drink alcohol, you've got diabetes" or "Just drink something else", that's not an answer to my question. I am asking, does anyone drink beer as their alcoholic drink of choice and have you found a reliable method of avoiding spikes or hypos?

Adnams Ghost ship 0.5%, 0.4g sugar, it really is a great drink, I have introduced it to so many people and they think its one of the best Alcohol free beers, it comes on draft,bottle and can.

 

[DChes]

Just to give some perpective on quantity as you figure this stuff out, for the purposes of diabetes in the US, a *serving* of beer for a diabetic is considered to be 12 ounces. ( 4-5 ounces of wine, one shot of hard liquor) A UK pint is 20 ounces volume and the UK ounces of volume are slightly larger than US ounces. So when you drink your first pint, you are most of the way into your second serving already. I am wondering if drinking a slower pint would be more manageable? Or two half pints if you want to try two different beers, over the evening if it isn't too unmanly to be seen with a half?

 

[RobertJ]

I've had diabetes 42 years. I love to have a drink. Here are my rules of thumb to keep sugar under control.
Don't drink beer.
Drink lager (Peroni, San Miguel, Asahi, Heineken etc), dry wine, spirits (with diet mixers).
Don't snack (crisps etc)
As a side note - chasing your blood sugar by injecting is never a good strategy as your blood sugar falls slower than it rises and if you have multiple top ups trying to get it under control you're never quite sure if the previous ones have finished working their way through and you end up with a yo-yo effect of lows and highs. Best not to get into that situation.

I have never found there to be much of a difference between lager and, say, craft beer. I've found Blue Moon and other IPAs to require more insulin than lager but lager still has an effect.

If I just sat there and had two San Miguels over an hour or two without dosing, I would probably go up to about 15mmol if I started on 6mmol.

 

[KennyA]

Experiences vary. I had a week away and was able to test, in isolation, what impact a single pint of beer had on my BG.

Beer - one imperial pint of Three Tuns (4.3% abv). No food, 20 hour fast. T2 no meds.

Baseline 5.3: 30mins 8.6: 60 mins 5.6: 90 mins 5.4: 120 mins 4.9

Much as expected.

 

[Timothyf7]

This evening, I thought it would be nice to go to my lovely, civilised, cosy local pub and have two pints of Charles Wells Dry Hopped Lager while reading a book. Obviously, for someone without diabetes this would be a very straightforward affair. You just go to the pub, have your two beers, then walk home and everything's fine.

For me, however, it was a bit of a disaster. It had gone a bit high from my evening meal but it was 12.3 when I ordered my first drink and I gave two units of Novorapid, thinking one unit per pint would be fine and the insulin I gave from my evening meal would still be working anyway, so it was best not give too much.

Once I sat down I noticed my Freestyle Libre saying 10.7 with the arrow pointing 45 degrees down so I thought, phew, it will be in the target range soon enough.

I started reading my book and tried to enjoy myself and not think about diabetes. When I got up to order the second pint my high glucose alarm was going off and I thought, wait, what?

It had then gone back up to about 15.1 so I gave another two units, now throwing the original plan out of the window. I thought, all that matters now is getting it down.

As I type this, it's 12.2 with the arrow pointing directly down, so I guess it will end up fine but even so... All this just for trying to have to lagers in a pub with a book like a normal person. I've had Type 1 diabetes for 19 years and still haven't settled on a reliable method. Just to be clear, there have been times where I've had far more than two pints and it's been a diabetes masterclass, between 5 and 9 all evening without even going low at the end of the night. This year, I was at a beer festival of all things and it was 8.4 at the start and about 6.8 four hours later, and that included food as well. So it can be done. But when that happens it feels more like dumb luck than actually having a plan and the plan working.

And for anyone thinking of saying "Just don't drink alcohol, you've got diabetes" or "Just drink something else", that's not an answer to my question. I am asking, does anyone drink beer as their alcoholic drink of choice and have you found a reliable method of avoiding spikes or hypos?

I use a Dexcom 7 and live in America. I am more in control of my type 1 diabetes because of the constant measurement of the CGM. It seems that you are being reactive instead of proactive. With your CGM, note how quickly it takes foods and beverages to affect your blood sugar. Then note how long it takes for your insulin to start to get your sugar back down. With me, it is a significant gap of about 2.5 hours (after injection of Novalog). I'm sure that with type 2, it wouldn't be nearly as extreme as that, but be proactive and dose yourself ahead of the drink based on your findings. Even "BETTER", ask your Doctors what is the best action. After all, they are the ones with the best knowledge on the subject. Some say a couple of drinks are okay and some say you should try to avoid alcohol. As a Type 1 - I just decided to quit alcohol due to the effects on the kidneys which are already strained by diabetes and are not readily replaceable.

 

[Zinadane]

Seen enough on here for one day. I'm off to Lidl, get me some nice bottles of malbec!

 

[LianneR]

This evening, I thought it would be nice to go to my lovely, civilised, cosy local pub and have two pints of Charles Wells Dry Hopped Lager while reading a book. Obviously, for someone without diabetes this would be a very straightforward affair. You just go to the pub, have your two beers, then walk home and everything's fine.

For me, however, it was a bit of a disaster. It had gone a bit high from my evening meal but it was 12.3 when I ordered my first drink and I gave two units of Novorapid, thinking one unit per pint would be fine and the insulin I gave from my evening meal would still be working anyway, so it was best not give too much.

Once I sat down I noticed my Freestyle Libre saying 10.7 with the arrow pointing 45 degrees down so I thought, phew, it will be in the target range soon enough.

I started reading my book and tried to enjoy myself and not think about diabetes. When I got up to order the second pint my high glucose alarm was going off and I thought, wait, what?

It had then gone back up to about 15.1 so I gave another two units, now throwing the original plan out of the window. I thought, all that matters now is getting it down.

As I type this, it's 12.2 with the arrow pointing directly down, so I guess it will end up fine but even so... All this just for trying to have to lagers in a pub with a book like a normal person. I've had Type 1 diabetes for 19 years and still haven't settled on a reliable method. Just to be clear, there have been times where I've had far more than two pints and it's been a diabetes masterclass, between 5 and 9 all evening without even going low at the end of the night. This year, I was at a beer festival of all things and it was 8.4 at the start and about 6.8 four hours later, and that included food as well. So it can be done. But when that happens it feels more like dumb luck than actually having a plan and the plan working.

And for anyone thinking of saying "Just don't drink alcohol, you've got diabetes" or "Just drink something else", that's not an answer to my question. I am asking, does anyone drink beer as their alcoholic drink of choice and have you found a reliable method of avoiding spikes or hypos?

I was told never to take insulin with any alcohol. So when I drink (lager), I don't take any. I did have massive spikes when I was on insulin injections, but now as I'm on the medtronic 780g with guardian 4 sensor I don't really get the spikes. The pump manages all of that for me. All I have to do is enjoy my drinks and make sure I have something a bit carby at the end of the night. The pump and sensor do the rest.

 

[Ledzeptt]

interesting you tube vid ta.

Those guys (Endocrinologists with T1) seem crazy, but they show it’s possible to eat all sorts of things… e.g. not one, but three doughnuts on one episode! (Sorry, but although fascinating, I instinctively felt ill )

 

[Prancy]

Those guys (Endocrinologists with T1) seem crazy, but they show it’s possible to eat all sorts of things… e.g. not one, but three doughnuts on one episode! (Sorry, but although fascinating, I instinctively felt ill )

Hey there! I’m huge Zeppelin fan.

I love Jeremy and Steve on TCOYD! They do a great job demonstrating how to do normal things with insulin on board.

For some reason, all I have to do is think about having a cocktail and my BG drops! I’m serious. It’s like clockwork. I start dropping hours before I drink. I have to go into Temp Target mode on my Medtronic 670G. And, still, I’ll go low soon after a few sips of wine. So, I must eat carbs, suspend delivery and watch my CGM closely. It’s annoying. I used to stay in Manual Mode and just reduce my Basal rate by 75%. I may return to doing that.