Drinking Alcohol

[Alistatir_]

Hi everyone how does everyone cope with drinking alcohol I don't often drink and I haven't had a drink since been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes I am now down to 18 units of levemir at night time and carb counting taking novo rapid with meals the last few weeks my blood glucose control have been good with the odd occasion been no higher than 12.5 mmol and my lowest been 3.5 mmol but mainly my bloods have been between 4.8 mmol and 8 mmol what is everyone else's blood glucose level sit at and how much insulin do you take and how do you control having a drink. Thanks

 

[dancer]

@Alistatir_ everyone is different, so really there isn't much point in finding out how much insulin others take.

As for alcohol, don't take any . . . Only joking!

I would steer clear of beer as it can raise blood sugar a lot, though I believe there are some low carb ones available (probably higher in alcohol.)

If you take spirits with mixers, make sure you get a bottle or can, rather than draught mixer, as many diabetics have been given full sugar instead of diet coke etc.

You should take a snack before bed, with no bolus e.g. toast or sandwich, as alcohol can lower BGs. Your DSN has probably suggested an amount of carbs to take, if not, I would take around 20g, if you haven't had more than a couple of drinks, more if you've had several.

Take a note of what you drank and carbs eaten before bed and your BG before bed and before breakfast. If you're in range, no problem, if high or low, make changes next time, noting amounts again.

Trial and error I'm afraid. . . and there's always the possibility of going low after breakfast but that can depend on what you drink (brandy does that to me.)

Enjoy, but take care.

 

[Alistatir_]

OK thanks for that I have been a little worried to have a drink but doesn't seem like to much to worry about in that sense. Thanks

 

[Scott-C]

A few beers are totally do-able, but there can be unpredictable results, so seeing as you're recently dx'd take it in baby steps.

Can't speak for spirits or wine as I rarely drink them. Most lagers result in a sharp spike, real ales less so, but still a spike. Docs will normally say don't bolus for alcohol at all. That will result in crazy high levels, so there's usually a temptation to bolus for it but be canny. The reason it's a dilemma is that just as alcohol will spike, it can often drop just as rapidly further down the line too.

The liver has a lot to do with it. It's normally both releasing and absorbing glucose with a mind of it's own, but when some alcohol comes into play, it puts all that to one side, and focuses on dealing with the alcohol which it regards as a poison. Once the alcohol has been processed, it then plays catch up, and that's the unpredictable part.

It's not uncommon to see a large drop in the early hours after a night out, so taking some carbs before bed is always a good idea.

Try a pint or two and see how you get on. The odd single pint, spirit or glass of wine will barely show on the radar. Office leaving do's like the one I went to on Wednesday, which started at 5pm and finished at midnight require a bit more attention. Those Lagavullins just after a couple of sambuccas in the closing hours seemed like a good idea at the time....

 

[Alistatir_]

Cheers Scott c

 

[noblehead]

what is everyone else's blood glucose level sit at and how much insulin do you take and how do you control having a drink. Thanks

Hi @Alistatir_

I enjoy a few glasses of red wine on a weekend and it has a negligible effect on my bg levels, therefore I don't take any insulin to compensate.

Just go easy and drink sensibly until you know what effect alcohol has on your diabetes.

 

[Mynydd1791]

@Alistatir_ everyone is different, so really there isn't much point in finding out how much insulin others take.

As for alcohol, don't take any . . . Only joking!

I would steer clear of beer as it can raise blood sugar a lot, though I believe there are some low carb ones available (probably higher in alcohol.)

If you take spirits with mixers, make sure you get a bottle or can, rather than draught mixer, as many diabetics have been given full sugar instead of diet coke etc.

You should take a snack before bed, with no bolus e.g. toast or sandwich, as alcohol can lower BGs. Your DSN has probably suggested an amount of carbs to take, if not, I would take around 20g, if you haven't had more than a couple of drinks, more if you've had several.

Take a note of what you drank and carbs eaten before bed and your BG before bed and before breakfast. If you're in range, no problem, if high or low, make changes next time, noting amounts again.

Trial and error I'm afraid. . . and there's always the possibility of going low after breakfast but that can depend on what you drink (brandy does that to me.)

Enjoy, but take care.

Hello,

New to type 2 and find it hard work when so many beers don't post sugar content....
However, just bought a box of 12 pints of Bass beer and sugar content was shown on the big box! It's good to me!! 0.5g per pint!!!

 

[Buttons11]

Hello,

New to type 2 and find it hard work when so many beers don't post sugar content....
However, just bought a box of 12 pints of Bass beer and sugar content was shown on the big box! It's good to me!! 0.5g per pint!!!

It's not the sugar content you need to look at, it's the carbs. There are 18g carbs in a pint (I googled it!)

 

[lowedb]

Agreed. I love beer. But it is so carb heavy. And carbs are addictive as well as really bad for diabetics.

Did I say I love beer? I could probably have honestly described myself as a beer monster...

I was drinking loads of beer. And loved it. I still like it but limit myself to an absolute max of two beers a day. Still too much. Funny thing is now I'm less carbohydrate addicted I have much less of an issue.

Draught Bass was one of my faves, too, though Pedigree was high on my list since until recently I could see the brewery from my office window.

 

[izzyj09]

I have found that vodka and orange or vodka with some sort of mixer in it preferably quite high with sugar works for me because combined with going out and dancing and drinking I find I can go low quite easily ! I always eat something with no carb when I get back in ! But I totally agree with the others it's all about trial and error and what works best for you ! I'm now I'm my third year of uni so I've figured it out.. but I know other diabetics that do the opposite to me and they have to give loads of insulin... also if it's your first time drinking then my advice would be go slowly and test lots, and go out with friends who know you really well and don't forget to have fun

 

[ashwilliaams]

Whenever I drink I don't take any insulin other than for what I am eating, i sometimes have high blood sugars but I am on an insulin pump and find that if I bolus for my drinks I hypo every time. I would much rather run a little high than too hypo when I'm drunk it can be very hard to deal with. Just make sure you eat