Diabetes requires awareness and it is sometimes hard to control even if we are completely sober. Now, we are going to add alcohol to all the other things that affect blood sugars. In this blog post I will explain how alcohol can affect our blood glucose levels, what I recommend to drink and what to be aware of when drinking.
As I type this post, I am 5 months completely sober. I haven’t had a single beer or any type of alcohol since June 5, 2022. ZERO alcohol.
In this post I’m not going to try to convince you or tell you to stop drinking alcohol. I personally decided to stop drinking completely for my own health and personal reasons. Oh well, and you will also find out soon that being a diabetic and drinking alcohol also makes it harder to control your blood sugars.
Alcohol is toxic and poisonous to your body. This is why alcoholic drinks need to go through a certain process and be mixed and drinks contain just a % of alcohol in them. Otherwise, you will not be able to drink them.
I probably had my first alcoholic drink when I was 15 or 16 years old. I’m 32 years old now. If you do the math I’ve drank alcohol for a long period in my life. I’ve been there, I’ve done that, I’ve had alcohol first thing in the morning before having breakfast… I’ve been drunk way more times than I can remember.
Alcohol is part of our culture and it is related to having “fun”. And yeah I’m not going to picture alcohol here as the bad guy, because it is not.
Alcohol when consumed in balance should be something to enjoy. Just like everything else in life when in “excess” it could be bad for you.
When you are diabetic and if you are taking insulin, things can change, especially when drinking alcohol. Alcohol can drop your glucose levels between 6 – 8 hours after consumption. Or alcohol can raise your glucose levels depending on the type of alcoholic drink. Here’s why…
When you drink alcohol, your liver needs to prioritize that alcohol because it has to process it. Your body is very smart and it needs to get rid of that toxic substance you are putting in your system first. When this happens your food is not processed as it should be because the stomach slows the rate of digestion.
So, if you are using insulin when drinking and eating food, that insulin starts working faster but the food you ate is not being digested because of the alcohol you drank. This is what causes your glucose levels to start dropping faster.
Now, what happens when you have a drink high in carbs or sugar in it? This is more complicated since you are calculating the insulin dose for that drink with carbs and food, but remember that the insulin will work faster and the food will be digested slower.
Diabetes is different for all of us, so if I have 1 beer I might not need insulin to cover for it. But you might need to use insulin. And this insulin can stay working in your system for hours after drinking so your glucose levels can drop. The more alcohol you drink, the more likely you will experience low blood sugars in the hours after drinking.
What do I recommend to drink ?
What I recommend and this is obvious are low carb and low sugar drinks.
When I used to drink, I would get the beers with the lowest amount of carbs available, some of these were: Bud light, Coors lite, Miller lite. There are more. Look them up.
There are also dry wines with low carbs: cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, merlot, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc. (Keep in mind the amount per serving)
Liquor has 0 grams of carbs. Tequila, whiskey, vodka, well; of course if you don’t mix them with mixers which can have a lot of sugar. If you drink any liquor you can order them with sparkling water, club soda or just a diet soda.
Here’s my suggestion: stay away from cocktails, yes cocktails which are made with tons of sugar and juices (syrup, cane sugar etc…) and a bunch of other bullshit ingredients that no one knows how much fucking sugar they have. I mean use common sense, make smart choices when it comes to ordering your drink.
Being a type 1 diabetic for 8 years it never crossed my mind to order a strawberry margarita or a pineapple cocktail or a mojito or a caipirinha. If you want to have any cocktail ask the bartender or server if they can make the same drink without sugar. You know what I’m trying to say right ? The less ingredients or the more simple a drink, the less carbs and the less sugar, the better and easier for you to manage your sugar levels. Simple as that…
There are many apps and online information that can give you exact amounts of carbs and sugar for different alcoholic drinks. One of them is calorie king. Please use them in order to make smart choices when it comes to choosing what to drink.
What to be aware of when drinking ?
Be aware of the type of alcohol or drink and of course how many drinks you plan to drink.
I recommend checking glucose levels before, during and after drinking. Always make sure you are monitoring your sugars while drinking. And always try to drink some water for every 2-3 drinks you have.
Make sure to eat while drinking in order to avoid dangerous low glucose levels. Always carry something to treat low sugars. (Snacks)
Make sure the people you are drinking with know that you are diabetic and to always remind you of testing your sugar levels especially if drinking a lot. They might think you are drunk when in reality you could be going through low sugars (hypoglycemia) which can be very dangerous when drinking.
Always check your sugar levels before going to sleep. Remember that alcohol consumption can affect and lower glucose levels 6 – 8 hours after drinking.
Always be aware and mindful when drinking. What am I drinking? Have I eaten any food? Am I checking my glucose levels constantly? Have I drank water?
When ordering a drink at a bar, make sure you see the server uses diet soda or any mixer that you know you can drink (sparkling water, club soda). Try to always watch the bartender when preparing your drink.
There is no perfect formula to know how much insulin to use when drinking. This is about trying what works for you and what doesn’t. Keep note on which drinks can spike your sugar levels and avoid these. Try to find alternatives and always avoid drinking too much that you might end up unconscious and unable to test your glucose levels. This could be very dangerous to the point of you needing to go to the emergency room or people having to call 911 in order to help you.
Diabetes is no joke and it requires your full attention and care.
Alcohol is part of our culture and it is better to enjoy it in a responsible way. There are people who can do this and people who can’t drink responsibly like myself. This is why I took the decision to avoid alcohol and stop completely. If you struggle with alcohol my advice is to find help.
I personally feel better without it, I feel calm, I feel peaceful, I don’t have that need to drink and keep drinking because that’s what I used to do. One beer, then the next, then the next, then I will skip meals, then I will end up drunk, then I will deal with hangovers. To me it is just not worth it.
That decision is one you take for yourself because nobody else will care for you as much as you do.
@dieabeast