What to Know About Alcohol and Diabetes

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Amity Island said:
From wine and spirits to beer and cocktails, our diabetes drink guide tells you all you need to know about mixing alcohol and diabetes.

www.eatingwell.com

What to Know About Alcohol and Diabetes

From wine and spirits to beer and cocktails, our diabetes drink guide tells you all you need to know about mixing alcohol and diabetes.
www.eatingwell.com www.eatingwell.com
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Why does the article keep talking about Calories when it's the Carbs that matter. Also beer is not such a good choice as wine/spirits as it can have carbs in it not processed thru to alcohol.
 
DaveB said:
Why does the article keep talking about Calories when it's the Carbs that matter. Also beer is not such a good choice as wine/spirits as it can have carbs in it not processed thru to alcohol.
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Not really.
Empty calories, while they do taste good, put weight on.
I don't really want to be a fat diabetic again, so watching the calories is always a good idea.
 
It amazes me that some diabetics like me see their BG rocket after a few drinks, but others crash.
 
I put it a little more simply.

Drink sensibly. My definition of sensibly is pretty simple: do not drink to excess. As a diabetic excess is defined by two separate factors: effects on blood glucose and effects on my ability to act sensibly.

I never drink to the point of inebriation. Drunk diabetics make very poor decisions about carb intake and, if used, meds or insulin.

I did a lot of testing after different types of drinks, different amounts consumed, drinks with and without food etc etc. I suggest you do the same.

For myself I found a glass or two of dry red or white wines are fine with a meal provided the meal was low in carbs. I can enjoy neat spirits, or spirits with diet mixers, in moderation at any time but too many will send me low or can cause odd timing of highs and lows if consumed with a meal. The same applies to low-carb beers. I treat normal carb beers (8-15 gms carb per glass) and stouts as a snack between meals.

My results might be different to yours. Test.

Finally, within the limits I just described I am a fan of good red wine.

PS. Do not trust post-mix mixed drinks. If you cannot add your own mixer from a diet can or bottle drink something else.
 
My rules :

Don't text drunk.
Never bid on eBay either. (Who actually needs a suit of armour in the living room?)


However I will now be including
"I treat beers and stouts as a snack between meals"


We can all learn something everyday
 
Always enjoyed alcohol since diagnosis, sensibly in more recent years not so when younger. Like good pint of beer also Guinness, spirit wise its whisky brandy gin, mainly drink red wine in house as does wife.
 
Treating beers and stouts as a "snack between meals" @Alan S ? Not sure that would go down too well in many workplaces!!
 
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Ivostas66 said:
It amazes me that some diabetics like me see their BG rocket after a few drinks, but others crash.
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With that although I don’t drink alcohol ( still in school) I have read on this forum that most peoples number sky rocket with stress but my numbers go hypo if I’m stressed
 
Are there any rules of thumb about what alcohol will tend to do to most people in terms of BG?
To be taken as a baseline for further testing
I mean, for example, does alcohol cause hypos or other such simple or slightly more involved but not complex relationships?

Also, what are non-alcoholic beers like in terms of BG etc?
I dont mind Heineken 0% (its the one I like most that is available herein PT, in UK/Germany I liked Becks blue)
 
Essex said:
Are there any rules of thumb about what alcohol will tend to do to most people in terms of BG?
To be taken as a baseline for further testing
I mean, for example, does alcohol cause hypos or other such simple or slightly more involved but not complex relationships?

Also, what are non-alcoholic beers like in terms of BG etc?
I dont mind Heineken 0% (its the one I like most that is available herein PT, in UK/Germany I liked Becks blue)
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Non alcoholic beers list their carbs.
Usually quite fast acting as it's effectively sugar syrup.
Alcohol distracts your liver from other things, as it concentrates on processing the alcohol.
Usually the carbs in the drink raise your BG, you release insulin, but then start to crash when your liver is still preoccupied, and doesn't release glycogen as it would with a normal liver dump when you start to go low.
Bavaria is quite drinkable as well.
 
I was in Scotland in the summer at a Christening. My wife was godmother and the little girl being Christened's mum was also type 1. We compared levels throughout the day. We were drinking Champagne during the afternoon. She was having to eat due to dropping below 4.5 (grazing from the buffet), whereas I was having to inject, leaping into the low teens. Her Mum was also regularly reminding her to check as "you always go low when you have a couple of drinks", whereas my wife was having to do the opposite!

Fascinating how differently people's bodies react.
 
Lily123 said:
With that although I don’t drink alcohol ( still in school) I have read on this forum that most peoples number sky rocket with stress but my numbers go hypo if I’m stressed
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Any chance you are still producing any insulin at all?
Usually the liver dumps glycogen, and raises your BG.
If you go hypo it would suggest stress also kicks your pancreas to produce an amount of insulin, which produces the undershoot.
However, I'm type 2, not type 1, hopefully others can help better.
 
travellor said:
Any chance you are still producing any insulin at all?
Usually the liver dumps glycogen, and raises your BG.
If you go hypo it would suggest stress also kicks your pancreas to produce an amount of insulin, which produces the undershoot.
However, I'm type 2, not type 1, hopefully others can help better.
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That would explain alot but I highly doubt I’m still producing insulin as I’ve had T1 since 2015 and I think that part of my pancreas gave up the ghost long ago
 
Pretty sure it is a 'chicken and egg' story for a lot of us. Stress can cause BG to drop (stress causes lots of nasty things in our bodies) but also our dropping BG can cause us to become stressed. Popped to Guildford a few days ago as my 4 year old wanted to buy a present for her Mum for Christmas. BG was 7 and stable when we arrived, within half an hour it was 3.5 - walking, keeping a 4 year old close to me, avoiding crowds!!
 
Ivostas66 said:
Pretty sure it is a 'chicken and egg' story for a lot of us. Stress can cause BG to drop (stress causes lots of nasty things in our bodies) Popped to Guildford a few days ago as my 4 year old wanted to buy a present for her Mum for Christmas. BG was 7 and stable when we arrived, within half an hour it was 3.5 -
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Quite a drop then
 
travellor said:
Non alcoholic beers list their carbs.
Usually quite fast acting as it's effectively sugar syrup.
Alcohol distracts your liver from other things, as it concentrates on processing the alcohol.
Usually the carbs in the drink raise your BG, you release insulin, but then start to crash when your liver is still preoccupied, and doesn't release glycogen as it would with a normal liver dump when you start to go low.
Bavaria is quite drinkable as well.
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Thanks, that makes sense,
planning to have a few glasses of wine this xmas
These days I dont have to worry about overindulging as I drop off after 2 or 3 :D
 
Ivostas66 said:
Treating beers and stouts as a "snack between meals" @Alan S ? Not sure that would go down too well in many workplaces!!
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I was retired by the time I was diagnosed 🙂.
 
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