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Alcohol???

1980amyk

1980amyk

Member
Messages
12
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hi,
I'm a newly diagnosed (4wks) type 1, I have a night out planned for Saturday and have no idea what I should do reguarding alcohol. I've had 1-2 glasses with a meal and haven't noticed much difference in my levels, but the idea is to have a few drinks (nothing heavy) before going for a meal later in the evening. Is this possible or should I stay on soft drinks until the meal? Also what alcohol is the best to have? I would normally have dry white wine or vodka, lime and lemonade, I was possibly thinking of trying vodka lime and soda water? I know the dafne course would help but I'm not booked onto that until November . I would be grateful for any advice, thank you
 
Hi @1980amyk ,

No straightforward answer I'm afraid as we are all different. I can tell you that wine drops my glucose levels quite quickly, (great with a carby meal), the hard stuff lowers my bg's but not so quickly and beers can raise my levels.

Test and find out what works for you, keep some carbs handy. Let your friends in on the secret so that they don't confuse a hypo for drunkeness - not always obvious to onlookers.

Be aware that if your soft drinks come from a pump, then you don't always get the 'diet' version you asked for.

Hope that helps. Have a good night out and stay safe.
 
Don't drink alcohol on an empty stomach, make sure you have a light meal or snack before you go out. Also make sure you have diet soft drinks or mixers. Beer has lots of carbs in so can shoot your sugar levels skyward before the alcohol kicks in & drops them again, can make you feel a bit tired & headachy... Wine is not so bad for me as long as it's dry. Everyone is different though, it will be trial & error for you unfortunately - stay safe & don't forget to enjoy yourself xx
 
Hi. Wine and spirits have little effect on blood sugar but whilst the liver is busy getting rid of the alcohol it can't do an emergency glycogen dump so if you have too much Bolus you can be in trouble.
 
I find that if I have drinks one evening then the following morning my blood glucose levels are really high but then plummit a couple of hours later so it usually is 22 when I wake up but then as low as 2.6 two hours later so just be careful and monitor lots
 
Over the course of a few hours of drinking, your liver is busy getting rid of alcohol, so can't continue the drip feeding of glucose into your blood stream. As a result, after a few hours of drinking you will notice a moderate drop in your sugar levels. Not a massive drop, but a gradual one.

Conversely, beer or non-diet mixers will raise your levels. The best drinks to maintain fairly static sugar levels are dry whites, any reds or diet mixers with spirits.

Of course, this is assuming you manage your levels well whilst eating out. Typically, this isn't easy, so I'd suggest you go for something with the fewest carbs in and drink drinks with the fewest carbs in. The fewer cabs, the easier your control will be.
 
Something stodgy before, JD & diet Coke in between and definitely check your bloods after... allowing for dropping sugar's cos of the alcohol!! Works for me..
 
Different types of alcoholic drink affect me in different ways, vodka will lower it, wine will lower it, beer and cider will raise it. Test and see what works for you.
 
Hello!
I was diagnosed in July 2015... so nearly 7 months ago now..
I remember the first few times i drank i was so worried and anxious about what was going to happen, i couldn't relax! But after a few nights out you get used to it and learn to chill a bit, haha. But i know how you are feeling! It's alot to take in and learn at this stage.
So, i generally drink spirits with a mixer... so gin & slimline tonic... or vodka soda water or vodka diet coke, luckily these were my drinks of choice pre diabetes so win win!! haha.. I've found these don't affect my blood sugars at all really. The only thing that happens is the alcohol will gradually drop my blood sugars during the night. So carbs before bed!! Or if you are going for a meal, a carby meal would be good. Just enjoy your night, check your sugars.. carry some sugar.. and you will get the hang of it soon! Have a good time!
 
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