• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Can I get drunk?

J

Johosephat

Active Member
Messages
37
I was diagnosed T2 in Jan. I take Metformin, statins and high blood pressure meds. I don't drink generally. For example, the last alcoholic drink I had was a decaf Baileys coffee over Xmas.

Some friends and I infrequently meet up and tend to have a bit of a session. If I were to stick to certain low carb/sugar spirits and mixers, is there any issue with me having a proper night out?

I've checked this forum and elsewhere online, and I find info about carbs in beer, drinking in moderation etc., but for want of a better term, I'm talking about one-off binge drinking. Is that doable?
 
I’m a binge drinker, I dont drink for years, then one night if I meet my friends..I can do a litre bottle of vodka. I don’t drink beer or lager so I can’t comment about those as I don’t know the effects they would have on blood sugar. Vodka however, lowers my blood sugar, I only take metformin and tested when I drank to start with. The answer is yes you can sesh if you want, but the right way is always take into consideration you are diabetic and the medications you take and just keep an eye on your sugars.Annoying when your just having a good time but better to be safe.
 
The things that you need to watch out for when drinking are:

The obvious, blood sugar changes. As already pointed out, with spirits and sometimes red wine, it may drop your blood sugar. As you are metformin controlled, this may be less of an issue than if you were on other tablets or insulin

Beers, ciders etc are going to raise your blood sugars. However, if it's one-off and not something you plan to repeat on a daily basis, then a day of rehydration, healthy eating, and a bit of exercise afterwards (or possibly two days afterwards, depending on how hard you intend to hit it lol).

Metformin carries a small risk of lactic acidosis - a rare condition where lactic acid builds up in the blood and can be dangerous. Drinking alcohol is thought to increase this risk.

On the balancing side, socialisation is important and is a part of psychological self-care. It's been a long time since any of us were able to go out with friends have that type of an evening... so I say, go for it. Just do all the things your mother would have told you to do, eg, eat, don't drink on an empty stomach, be careful, and have fun.
 
With beers you have to test cause of the liquid carb element.
I can still enjoy Guinness even though it's 18gs of carbs per pint.
I had to run a test, put my body on the line for science you see.
One night I drank 3 cans on an empty stomach then tested at the 1 hour mark while I was finishing my 3rd pint, basically looking for the spike.
Meter read 6.2mmol/L, did a little jump for joy then put that meter away before it took away my beloved Guinness.

Wine is a different animal, drives my BG down straight away, I could be in the 3s after a few glasses.
 

Hi there, well considering you are not on glucose lowering meds such as insulin or similar, then I would say the dangers of binge drinking are the same as for anyone else generally speaking. If you're asking whether it will affect your glucose levels, well as others have said, anything carby probably will, whether that's alcohol or food. How do you normally manage your diabetes, are your levels & hb1ac usually tight, do you despair when those levels rise, are you happy for them to possibly go up for a day or two knowing you will get them back to normal, etc. It's hard for us to answer your question as it's your choice. Would I in your exact position?, yes. x
 
Thanks all. I reckon I'm going to go for it. I'll have a decent meal beforehand, stick to whiskey and diet coke and lay off the crisps etc.
 
My experience from when I did low carb is that my alcohol tolerance was much lower. Sitting in the pub with some mates drinking at a normal rate, then all of a sudden Woah! I'm drunk.
 
U still have to still live as long as it's not too often getting drunk. I've cut back on beer as that just spikes my sugar and I love my ale! Gin and diet tonic or dark rum and diet coke are better alternatives for me.
 
I would agree with the fact that alcohol affects me more since I have been on a low carb diet. I can no longer drink wine on an empty stomach without feeling a bit drunk and unwell.
When I lived in Bradford in the 60's there were Pie and Peas shops that sold a pork pie in a bowl of mushy peas, which sounds like a Pie Floater. Highly desirable after several pints of beer!
 
They are disgusting. South Australians eat them, not the rest of the country ... but I don't wonder as their beer is fermented in last night's undrained kitchen sink.
 
Mike d said:
They are disgusting. South Australians eat them, not the rest of the country ... but I don't wonder as their beer is fermented in last night's undrained kitchen sink.
Click to expand...
South Australian Cooper's beer is commonly called cat urine in Queensland.
 
I used to like about 3 pints once a week with a catch up with friends. I’m not a big drinker and new type 2 newbie is that somethings I can still do here and there. Bring new I’m learning
 
Just had a proper session of coke zero and gin. It was a spontaneous decision 'for old times sake'. Going to bed now and blood sugar is 6.1mmol. This is my first proper drink since new years day.
 
Hi all,

I'm type 1 for 11 years, and had my share of drunk nights....
My go-to alcohol is Smirnoff vodka or homemade "schnaps" (similar to whiskey) since they have small amounts of carbs.

One must always be mindful when "dedicated" to a night out with heavy drinking.

When I was wearing a Libre sensor I noticed a lot of things, alcohol-wise... Most hard spirits will first make a hypo and then hyper, depending on the amount taken. Most studies show that a normal metabolism may filter out 100 ml of alcohol per hour, meaning that if you take more, you'll definitely end up drunk and the following days will def. be hard.
As for beer, in my case at least, it causes a curve of highs/lows and despite calculating the carbs for a can, I always end up poorly managing it (hence I drink beer only when working around the house, so I can 'spend' the carbs).
As for liquors, wine and other sweet beverages, I tend to avoid them as much possible.

As other users have pointed out, it's been too long since we could do any socialization, so mingling up is quite important for emotional wellbeing.

Hope this help.

Stay safe, and vigilant.
 
You can get as drunk as you like but all the risks as a non diabetic of doing so still exist and you have the additional risks associated with T2 as well, the worst being not noticing a possible severe hypo. So good luck
 
Last edited:
A couple of Christmas's ago my wife and I celebrated at a posh London Hotel in Picadilly. Lovely low carb meal with a shared (equally) bottle of red wine.

This put 2kg"s on me and 1.5 kgs on my wife. We both got rid of the excess in no time, but our n of 1's were proportionate to our physical sizes.

Woman and mankind have had excesses of alcohol since ....I would say why not try every other drink non alcohol; when I have been out with friends in pubs I personally stick to black coffee and sparkling water. Once the Mickley taking is over, I still have a good time.
 
You can do a litre of vodka in a session, and you're still alive!?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…