Alcohol and Diabetes?

[Fandange]

Hi Everyone,

My 16 yr old son is off to a party tomorrow night and before he goes, I wanted to ask you lot about how alcohol effects T1. He is also coeliac so won't be drinking beer or whiskey (thank god!) but probably cider. Now, I am not condoning underage drinking, nor am I supplying him with any but I am trying to be realistic and prepare him without making him cringe. He has agreed to wear his D dogtag around his neck in case of hypo, give the Mum my phone number in case and he will have his phone with him. So, any advice you have will be appreciated. Thanks x

 

[gail2]

you are going to have to trust him and hope for the best. if he does drink he does you are preparing him as best as you can you can do no more. hopefully he will not drink but hes 16 and he may wanna push the boat out. hes sounds a sensible lad hes agreed to wear d dog tag give your no to the mum so hopefully he will be ok. i know its hard for you but hes a big lad now and will make his own decisions be they good or bad still you are going to worry about him no matter wot after all hes your baby no matter how old he gets. hope he enjoys the party, try not to worry to much about him. PS do his friends know hes diabetic just in case

 

[Copepod]

Simple summary of advice is to eat before and while drinking alcohol, and test blood sugar before bed. Have a pocket full of sweets, as always. Cider usually causes blood sugar to rise initially, due to sugars present, and later to fall when alcohol takes affect.

 

[heasandford]

Hi Ange - I remember meeting your lovely boy, hope he's doing well!
I find alcohol always ups my levels significantly during the evening, and find I have to go to bed with a MUCH higher bg, otherwise I hypo overnight (and I promise that's not a lot of alcohol!) I know everyone is different, but it wouldn't harm once if he finds a high reading before bed, don't make any adjustments. I beleve a Mars bar during the evening is one of the recommended things to eat too

 

[Northerner]

Hi Fandange, nice to hear from you again! 🙂 I would say the chief thing is to only drink in moderation until you have built up a good understanding of how alcohol affects you. I find my levels rise less with cider and lager than with 'real ale'/beer. Having something to nibble with the alcohol helps, as does a slow-release snack before bed, and it's also worthwhile doing a couple of tests as hypo symptoms can be masked by the alcohol.

It's a very individual thing though. I hope he enjoys the party, I'm sure he'll look after himself 🙂

 

[lizabetic]

I only ever drink spirits & diet coke but i'm not sure I would if I were insulin dependant.

Can't offer much advice though I know i'm not a parent and i'm still a teenager but I would suggest maybe allowing him to take some drink with him - that way you know what he's drinking, he's more likely to stick to that. My mum never did that with me (and I retaliated somewhat) but did with my sister and it worked.. just some advice 🙂

Also, i'm coeliac too and strongbow cider doesn't agree with me! Could be something else but wanted to say!

 

[novorapidboi26]

I have found that some people experience the affects of alcohol overnight and some the next day, or even both.........

the best way to prepare for the dropping levels is a reduction of the background insulin, before bed and possibly the next day, depending if the dose is split etc........

being new to it all, or so he has told you.......😉..........the best way is to test before bed and have some hypo treatment near by, and reduce the background dose a few units.............see how it looks in the morning and go from there.....