Zero-carb beer

Zhnyaka said:

alcohol does not so much lower your blood sugar as it blocks the liver's ability to produce glycogen (because when you are drunk, the liver is busy trying to rid you of alcohol intoxication) and basal insulin begins to act as a bolus.
but if you do not take insulin or other hypoglycemic drugs (Metformin simply increases your sensitivity to insulin, but it is not a hypoglycemic drug), then you will not experience hypoglycemia, your pancreas simply will not produce insulin when it is not needed (unlike our basal insulin, which does not

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But Gliclazide does increase insulin production and therefore can cause hypoglycaemia.

SteveN1966 said:

HI, new here and got linked this topic, Ive read alcohol lowers blood sugar, now im on tablets I'm concerned of my levels dropping to low if I drink not actually spiking.

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Hi @SteveN1966 , from your profile I see that you're on gliclazide.
This is a medication that can cause hypos so I assume you have a meter and teststrips to test if you feel off.

If you're not used to drinking alcohol but you want to, I'd recommend going easy when trying, and keeping your meter and something to treat a potential hypo at hand.

As @Zhnyaka explained, alcohol inhibits the liver from releasing glucose when needed, thus lowering your BG.

As with everything diabetes, trial and error is your friend. Alcohol is no different from other variables like exercise or illness, and it takes time to work out what works for you.
For what it's worth, I enjoy a tipple, but I took my time learning how it affects me.