[Subby]

I'm not a regular or heavy drinker but I've drunk enough in my time. I find that as long as BG is pretty steady to start with and I have a good meal behind me, beer is the best way to go. Whether it pushes slightly up or slightly down seems random. There are a few factors in play. I just keep checking and correcting.

Spirits are a whole other thing. They spike me like spoonfulls of sugar, even when mixed without carbs. Vodka is probably the least problematic of spirits for me. I always steer clear of the sickly sweet things like Frangelica, Desert wines, etc. The sugar is just too much and I'll double my BG in no time.

So I mainly stick to beer, it's generally neutral - with a bit of help.

As for starting out, just have a drink or two at the next opportunity, as long as you can test hourly to really get a picture for how an alcohol works for you. It's about the only way you will find out how you react. Sometimes the only way forward is just to forge on and observe the effects - carefully.

A big factor for drinking is alcohol acts as an inhibitor of glucogen released from your liver, so watch the hypos. It seems to occur for some time after - which may explain why I can have a wonderful, easy time of control (if pushing low a bit,) the day after quite a few.

Last thing I'll say is that I really don't drink much these days, I think more than a few and I do suffer all sorts of bad effects - nightmares, moodiness, feeling flat, etc. I don't know if it's exacerbated by being diabetic, but regardless watch for problems.