Alcohol and T1

Wise advice from the doctors. If you want mixers with spirits, then choose diet rather than full sugar versions. Check you blood glucose before, during [if an extended drinking period - I don't bother as I never drink more than 2 pints of beer [ale, never lager] or a couple of glasses of wine [usually red or rose, very rarely sweet white] or a tot of whisky & water in an evening] and before going to sleep. Beer has a fairly high carbohydrate content relative to alcohol content, whereas spirits have relatively little carbohydrate and high alcohol. If below say 7mmol/l, I'd suggest a snack of cracker / biscuit / small banana, as after lots of alcohol, your blood gluocose can drop later when you're asleep.

Alcohol is a little tricky. I am newly diagnosed T1 so I am not an expert but this is what I have learned.

The liver produces glucose all the time. If you are on basal bolus, slow acting insulin at night then fast acting with meals, the slow acting insulin is there to match the glucose your liver pumps out. The amount the liver produces is fairly stable though in some people it increases in the morning to give you a boost to get you going. That is the dawn effect.

Alcohol is metabolised by the liver, and when you have alcohol in your system it prioritises getting rid of it and the amount of glucose produced drops. This is a delayed effect so it takes a while to get going.

If you have lots of sugary cocktails for example, lots of booze and carbs, the carbs will spike your blood sugar. If you take more insulin to cover that, you increase your chance of a hypo later on as your background glucose production falls A severe hypo can also have drunken symptoms which can cause confusion in recognising the signs.

It is totally manageable, you just have to figure out how it works best for you. Snack before bed seems like a common strategy to avoid a nightie hypo, but your levels might also be lower the next day.

Some good advice here @Becky2804. It is aimed at teens but you still qualify as a young person.

http://www.healthline.com/diabetesmine/d-teens-and-alcohol-no-bull-from-uncle-wil#1

Hi. Yes, excess alcohol stops the liver dumping emergency glucose if needed whilst it's getting rid of the alcohol. So, moderation and keep tesing. The carbs are only needed if you are low before you go out or during the evening. Some low-GI carbs may make sense to be safe.

CraigDT said:

Alcohol is a little tricky. I am newly diagnosed T1 so I am not an expert but this is what I have learned.

If you have lots of sugary cocktails for example, lots of booze and carbs, the carbs will spike your blood sugar. If you take more insulin to cover that, you increase your chance of a hypo later on as your background glucose production falls A severe hypo can also have drunken symptoms which can cause confusion in recognising the signs.

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@Becky2804
As an addendum to CraigDT's wise words - Other people can think that your hypo is drunkeness and instead of getting you an ambulance they'll likely be standing around saying 'look at the state of 'er '. And be aware that it may be extra difficult to correct your sugar levels by yourself if you're under the influence.

Make sure at least one of your friends is in on the secret and get them to look out for you. Have a good (safe) night out, take it easy.

Maybe get one of these?



Have a great time. My son is going on a post A level Lads' week in the Med in June (no, I don't want to know what goes on ), and one of his friends is T1. They've already had a serious chat together about looking out for him, and spotting warning signs.....

Becky2804 said:

Thanks everyone! Is it possible I could have had a hypo before I knew I was diabetic? A couple of months before I was admitted to hospital with DKA there were a few occasions where I passed out on nights out and it struck me as odd at the time because I'm usually just sick if I'm that drunk. Or maybe I really had just had too much to drink haha!

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It's possible, but quite unlikely. If you are pre-diagnosis, while your pancreas is misfiring completely and may have been over dosing insulin at random occasions, tied in with alcohol stopping your liver generating glucose from glycogen, theoretically it could have happened.

Not sure if there are any observed studies though.

I have been T1 for 10 months now and I am 20 years old.
Been taking it easy and just having a pint now and again with no insulin.
This weekend I plan to go a little crazy and see what happens as I have really been disciplining myself very harsh.
I think I will probably only drink spirits and lagers and see how that goes without insulin.
I'm hoping that the amount of sugar will combat the alcohol (previously described) and level me out and therefore no insulin.
My theory is probably completely wrong.

But we will find out and I will report back!