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alcohol and insulin with Type 1

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busibee

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My husband is giving my son and I alot of grief by drinking alongside his insulin injections. He has quite frightened me such that I felt the need to lock myself in the bathroom until my son came home when my husband tried to punch him when he tried to give him sugar for his hypo. Any advice?
 
Welcome to the Forum,

The only thing I can think of is to get third party assistance such as police or ambulance. This may be enough to shock him into realising how badly he is behaving during a hypo with alcohol on top of it !
 
It's not good that you are so scared you have locked yourself in the bathroom. Have you tried talking about his diabetes, his control and behaviour in a relaxed environment when he's open to discussion about it? Have you tried writing him a letter or a note in a card about how he's hurting you and you are frightened and that it isn't fair on you. How about when he gets in, have a note on his pillow saying "dont forget to test" and leave a mini can of coke by his bed. He might not like being told what to do, but by leaving the coke available it makes it more in his control to treat his own hypo.
 
Hi,

It is not usual for a normally placid person, with diabetes, to turn nasty when they are having a hypo...and I guess the same can be said of alcogol. I agree with Sue..if he is beyond the point where you can help him, all you can do is get help...ambulance or police. Please, you must keep yourself safe.....if he is beingviolent, kepp yourself safe...he will eventually pass out. All you can do, is make sure that you keep checking on him...and when he passes out, make sure that the ambulance people are there to sort him out ASAP. I believe that ambulance poele will not endanger themselves either..and will either call for police back up, or let him pass out, before reviving him. I am not 100% about this, as I am only little myself, so have never needed this kind of action.
 
As an ex-Cop myself that is exactly what you should do.......get assistance asap. NOBODY should have to put up with this sort of behaviour..........

Ambulance crews will not get involved physically and I have had to deal with drunk and hypo affected individuals over the years. They are usually contrite afterwards, that is the time to get the point over that this man needs help in dealing with his obvious problem with drink, and the resultant hypo levels.

You should make sure that this is addressed promptly as things will only get worse and one day you may find yourself injured or worse.........get help at the time and discuss this with somebody NOW.
 
If this has happened more than once (and you have told him what has happened - that he was violent) you need to do something about it. Don't let him blame it on the diabetes - no normal person would let this happen more than once.
 
Is it a good idea to use alcohol to bring down blood sugar ?

My husband's type 1 diabetes is a tremendous strain almost constantly now. He uses alcohol to bring down his blood sugar levels and is often very difficult. My son and I are not normally unkind to anyone who has an illness as we are moderately decent who aim well but we are at the end of our tether with it all. The diabetic nurses offer us nothing and seem to imply that we are not decent people for asking for strategies to improve conditions for ourselves when it is my husband they keep telling us is the patient. Their implied tone is that we are selfish relatives because we want to not live in the nightmare that we exist in at the moment. After many, many years of my asking for one the diabetic nurse has said that she is writing to the consultant to request a pump for my husband. Type 1 diabetics in our area have a diabetic nursing service where the patient has to leave a message on an answering phone and wait at least 24hrs for a reply. Is that typical? I find the service useless. They do not give a toss about our health as far as I am concerned only that there is someone there to assist the diabetic. Please excuse my tone. I do not mean to sound unkind and I am not normally so but they make you like it.
 
Re: Is it a good idea to use alcohol to bring down blood sug

Not a nice story. Sorry to hear you are not getting the support and understanding you deserve.

Try this website for help and support via Al-Anon maybe.........

http://www.alcoholissues.co.uk/support- ... olics.html

Also Victim Support Helpline: 0845 30 30 900 may be useful.


I have merged your previous Topic about this for continuity.
 
I'm very surprised that someone would 'treat' their diabetes with alcohol.

Alcohol can lower blood sugar but it shouldn't be used as treatment.

Violent reactions can happen even as a result of hypoglycemia alone. It's relatively rare but does happen. Similar to alcohol, hypoglycemia can reduce one's natural inhibitions.
 
Re: Is it a good idea to use alcohol to bring down blood sug

busibee said:
My husband's type 1 diabetes is a tremendous strain almost constantly now. He uses alcohol to bring down his blood sugar levels and is often very difficult.
Click to expand...
The fact he has diabetes is irrelevant. He is using it as an excuse to be abusive. He tried to attack your son, and scared you so much you had to hide away. Don't let him blame that on diabetes.

You don't have to do anything to help him control his diabetes. It's not your responsibility, no matter what the nurses imply. It's his responsibility. It shouldn't have to impact on your life at all. I couldn't imagine forcing the role of a carer on someone like that. I'd hate to think if I was in a relationship my partner would automatically become my carer, and have to look after me and out up with me attacking them, just because I have diabetes.
 
His problems are not diabetic in nature.

He is an alcoholic, and an abusive drunk.

No-one should put up with this, absolutely no-one. It is HIS behaviour that is wrong, not yours.
He, as a grown adult, should stop drinking if this is what he is like when he is drunk.
Alcohol is no treatment for diabetes.

There is no excuse for his behaviour, and it is his problem to deal with.
 
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