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Advice on drinking and going out

Wookie1974

Well-Known Member
Messages
50
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi, I'm 45 years old and was diagnosed type 2 about 4 weeks ago. I'm looking for some advice or just other people's experience of what it now means for drinking and socialising. I've been a drinker for the past 25 years but I've cut right down in the last 6 weeks only had 2 glasses of wine on a Saturday night. My brothers 50th is coming up in 2 months time and I want to celebrate with him. Unsure on how dangerous drinking is now from everything I've read online.
 
Well, I'm not giving up the red wine!

Most of us manage our diabetes through diet. Have a look at the link in my signature.

Read around the forum and ask questions. Do you know what your hba1c number was?
 
The information leaflet in Metformin says don't drink when taking it, but if you don't take it then it is best to stick to something which is low carb - I drink vodka with fizzy water with ice and lemon or rum and diet coke.
 
Hi. Beer can cause BS and weight gain due to the carbs in it. Wine and spirits are generally OK as they have alcohol rather than carbs. The Metformin leaflet says don't drink excessively.
 
Hi, cheers for the responses. My hba1c was 91 which I know was high. Since then I'm into the 3rd week of 8 on 800 calorie diet and have lost a fair few pounds and plan to go on lchf diet after . I'm on 500mg of metformin a day that I started last week (doc wanted me on more) . My daily BS readings have been good. Nothing over 6 on a morning and nothing over 7.9 2hrs after a meal for the past 3 weeks. I've been checking the forum and know the beer is off the menu but then brandy is my favourite and I don't mind red wine. I know there's more important things to get my head around but it's something I enjoy.
 
xfieldok said:
Well, I'm not giving up the red wine!
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Nor me! I'm on my first glass of the evening right now.

In my very first interview with my nurse, back in 2014, she said red wine is fine to drink, and that it lowers blood sugars, but to always drink with a full stomach or with a meal, and never to treat it as diabetes medicine! Possibly the only sensible thing she said about food and drink, although she is now a low carb enthusiast with real natural fats. I can confirm it does tend to lower blood sugars
 
Yes, but good to let your hair down once in a while.

Low calorie might kick start your weigh loss but it is not sustainable. I went keto to get my numbers down. Weight loss was a byproduct.
 
I'm not planning on knocking it back like I used to - that's what got me here in the first place. But good to know that I can enjoy a drink and get a bit merry every now and again.
 

Don't play around with your health, if I was you I would cut out alcohol altogether. Much easier to manage. Don't forget that your liver is already getting stressed by from diabetes medication.
 
Wookie1974 said:
I'm not planning on knocking it back like I used to - that's what got me here in the first place. But good to know that I can enjoy a drink and get a bit merry every now and again.
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Be careful. I now find just 2 glasses of wine is enough to make me merry, and lower my willpower towards food. So although a single glass seems fine carb wise the knock on effect to more than one glass and then on to food I shouldn't have means it's a double bad whammy. Very hard to stay at just one or 2 once in a while, even though that seems ok. Just be careful.
 
Thanks for the messages everyone. Like I said, I'm not taking any of this as reason to go out and get smashed. I'm maybe having a couple of glasses of wine or a brandy on a Saturday night and that's it at the moment. Main focus is on losing weight and getting this under control through diet and get off the meds as soon as possible! If after that it only takes a couple of drinks to feel merry then that's fine by me as I'll save a fortune
 
Spirits at 40%+ - vodka, gin (although watch out for liquor versions with sugar), brandy, bourbon, whisky, etc are all no carb.

Liquors - like sambuca, cointreau, etc are full of sugar and therefore carbs

Champagne, cremant, red and white wine in general are all low carb - watch out for prosecco as it can often have added sugar. Can't comment on Cava, as I'm not a fan.

Ale/beer/lager - high carb, unless stated as a "light/lite" lager. Bud Light and Coors Light are lower carb, but still fairly high - Michelob Ultra Light and Skinny Lager are some of the lowest carb lagers... Skinny coming in at 3g carbs per 330ml at 4.0%

Best bet - get a meter and test, try a few of the above, and test, see how you react. Don't forget the lowering of inhibitions and possible side effect of scoffing a pizza or kebab and chips by accident
 
I'm another who does the Diet Coke with white rum.

I need to go to social functions for work where the expectations are that you will drink. I don't drink much- maybe2 drinks over a few hours. For me this is not a 'diet' this is the way I have to live forever. I enjoy having a drink. I don't drink what I used to very carb heavy like cointreau and cocktails and I do miss that. I feel that it is worthwhile experimenting a bit to find something you can drink that doesn't upset you blood sugar levels if you want to drink.

Certainly do not use having a drink or two lead me to having carbs- that is always my focus. If it did I would stop drinking.
 
I completely stopped, kind of a bummer as I just got a bottle of mao tai. I could use it to clean car parts lol
 
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