Beer

[GregGolden]

Alcohol is out there, and teenagers do drink. I usually go out with my friends and we all go to some ones house (dont worry, I ALWAYS sleep where ever I drink) and we get together with a 30 or a 24 and we drink it. I always drink lite beer, but I've always read that alcohol lowers your bs hours after you drink.

I had about 6 beers last night, I went to bed without eating anything to cover for the alcohol that should lower my bs. I woke up fine, not low. Although I am still probably in the honeymoon stage, (been about 15 months since diagnosed) I am on 20 units of Lantus, but when I drink I take it down to about 16 or 17.

I have 2 questions, first question is, does alcohol ALWAYS lower your bs the same for everyone? Or does it depend on body size, age..ect.

Second question is, is it BAD for diabetics to go out and just get drunk? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[JediSkipdogg]

First question is it depends on alot of things. Alcohol will always lower your BG though, how much is the question. You say you cut back on your Lantus, that's why it didn't lower your BG because it was acting like a medium length insulin.

The seconnd question is a huge debated one. The answer is it depends on who you are with and how much you trust them. If you go out with 5 guys and all get drunk, who takes care of you when your BG drops to say 30? Your friends definitely won't be in the right mindset to help you and they may even think your craziness is from you being drunk. That is the main problem. Running low has many of the EXACT same as being drunk. And even police officers may mistake that for you and you could get in serious trouble if they lock you up for public intoxication (if you happen to wander onto the street) and then you'll sitting in a jail all night with people that don't know you are diabetic. Which is another point, always wear some sort of identification that is obvious if you plan on getting drunk.

Now, like I said, it's a debated issue and many won't agree with me.

[Alene]

I have 2 questions, first question is, does alcohol ALWAYS lower your bs the same for everyone? Or does it depend on body size, age..ect.


Good questions. I believe I heard somewhere that your blood-sugar drops when the alchol has left/ is leaving your system. I could be wrong though.

[Brouts]

I drink beer probably more than I should, but only on the weekends. Anyways I have expirienced lows an hour after breakfast the next day do to the alcohol, it effects your bg's up to 14 hours later, so I'v been told. I believe it.

[kgm0612]

Jedi...........I totally agree with you!

I know when I drink a glass of white zinfindel it always raises my BS at first, but then drops me low.

I know kids drink.......and being a mom of a 22 year old daughter and a 19 year old son, neither one being diabetic, I would be very worried if one of them were out drinking with their buddies and something happened and no one was in a position to help my child if she/he were diabetic.

My personal opinion is that YOU are the diabetic and YOU are the one who needs to take responsibility for yourself. Drink Responsible!

Karen

[scara]

My understanding is that the liver is a one trick pony... it either puts out sugar for you to run around or it deals with alcohol... if you drank there will be a period where it deals with the alcohol.. ..if you walk around, dance, whatever... you could burn up all the sugar you have available.. and since the insulin is likely already in your blood stream you will go low.

Someone who does not have diabetes will not have insulin in their system and their pancreas would only put out more insulin in response to sugar being there....since the liver is dealing with alcohol there is no extra sugar.

This is why it's a good idea to know what your body usually does and to eat at the right times, your body will get the sugar from the food and doesn't need the liver.

I remember a post from someone who was trying to figure out how to balance the lows from alcohol effectively with pizza.... not sure if they got it down, but it sure sounded like worthwhile research.

Also please be safe, glucagon will not work when you are drunk, you need to eat at the right time to avoid going low... and know that being drunk really covers up the early going low symptoms....

[GregGolden]

Does the type of alcohol effect you diffrently? e.g. Hard liquor or beer.

[corwin]

My understanding is that it's the amount of alcohol and carbs in the drink that matters, not the type of drink. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Twice the amont of drink with half the amount of alcohol, consumed over the same period of time, will have the same effect. Keep in mind however that alcoholic drinks can vary greatly in the amount of carb content.

[Dewey]

Alcohol is out there, and teenagers do drink. I usually go out with my friends and we all go to some ones house (dont worry, I ALWAYS sleep where ever I drink) and we get together with a 30 or a 24 and we drink it. I always drink lite beer, but I've always read that alcohol lowers your bs hours after you drink.

I had about 6 beers last night, I went to bed without eating anything to cover for the alcohol that should lower my bs. I woke up fine, not low. Although I am still probably in the honeymoon stage, (been about 15 months since diagnosed) I am on 20 units of Lantus, but when I drink I take it down to about 16 or 17.

I have 2 questions, first question is, does alcohol ALWAYS lower your bs the same for everyone? Or does it depend on body size, age..ect.

Second question is, is it BAD for diabetics to go out and just get drunk? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
For the first question, I say that while alcohol often can lower the blood sugar, one size does not fit all and not everyone will react the same, even in similar situations. Therefore, some may experience a low, while others may have an increase. Some may have a lower sugar initially, followed by a higher level later.

On the second question, it's not good for anyone to go out & just get drunk. In my personal opinion, it is especially unwise for Diabetics to get drunk because they may confuse the tipsy feeling with a low sugar or may not remember to keep as close of a watch on sugar levels. If you do decide to go out & get drunk, then I suggest bringing friends/buddies who are aware of how to help you in the event of a low sugar. Please note: I'm Not trying to preach, just offering suggestions. Hope this helps.

[JediSkipdogg]

My understanding is that it's the amount of alcohol and carbs in the drink that matters, not the type of drink. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Twice the amont of drink with half the amount of alcohol, consumed over the same period of time, will have the same effect. Keep in mind however that alcoholic drinks can vary greatly in the amount of carb content.

It's all on the type of drink and what's in it. A Smirnoff has sugar added to it which may actually be more than the alcohol effect. For me, one Smirnoff takes my BG down from the alcohol and then shoots it sky high from the sugar part. You have to determine what's in the drink and what the alcohol percent is. Basically, don't go experimenting with a new drink every week, try to stick to a few and just drink those once you know how your body reacts to them.

[Cyborg]

I remember a post from someone who was trying to figure out how to balance the lows from alcohol effectively with pizza.... not sure if they got it down, but it sure sounded like worthwhile research.

When I go to the local pup, I counter my beer with wings. I don't bolus for either and my bg seems to work out fine. I sometimes drink 4 or 5 beers and always get a dozen unbreaded wings (the hotter the better).

[sbuff28@charter]

I can drink as many blue moons as i want. The carbs almost perfectly cancel out the BG drop for me nomatter if i have 3 or 10. there are a lot of other beers also.

I would suggest being a diabetic to stay away from hard liquor and sugary drinks. Pure sugar and liquor can make your BG plummet if ur not extremly careful. its hard to judge anyways.


I go with cyborg. Fat and protein seem to help the liver maintain a good bg somehow.

[welsh_dragon]

I drink quite a bit (more than I should mabye) and most alcohol affects me roughly the same, hard stuff (whisky, vodka etc) will act much faster but for me does not drop my bs too much, I always eat beforehand which seems to help.

If I'm out for the whole night I make sure that I measure my bs frequently and adjust accordingly, I do make sure that if I am drinking just shots then they are shots and juice because juice makes my bs rise. Beer tends to make me go up and then down but I find that if I am drinking beer for the whole night (mostly what happens) then the second beer causing bs to rise balances the drop from the first and the third balances the drop from the second.

When I get home whatever I have been drinking I always measure my bs, take my basal rate to 'pissed' which is normal just without the dawn phenomenon and have either 1 or 2 slices of bread and cheese. I've measured overnight (every 2 hours) after this and found that bs stays fairly constant. At least if I ever have to give my pump back I know that to stabilise my basal requirements for levemir or lantus I just need a whisky before I go to bed.

The major things I have problems with are cocktails with juice in them (juice rockets my bs normally) and mixing drinks especially wine and dense beer.

I have never drunk so much that I haven't tested my bs when out (it does take longer, que where did I put those strips and where do they go again!! although I had drunk enough to be sick!!) and being drunk (to me) feels different to being hypoglycemic.

Having said all that I don't really drink that often I just like trying most things at least once food and drink wise, I go out once or twice a week most weeks for 1 or 2 beers but in the past at Uni I used to go out and get trollied at leat once a week.

Jules

[DeusXM]

I'm trying to stay out of this (largely because I've said all I really can say on the subject of drinks and diabetes before) but I'd second the advice about cocktails, and indeed alcopops in general. They've usually got as much sugar in them as an energy drink and to be honest, once you've drunk a couple, the reductive affect of the alcohol is negated and you'll actually wake up running high.

You don't want to wake up hungover with high blood sugar - you haven't had a 'real' hangover until you've done that. It's definitely not my idea of fun to still be hungover 12 hours after waking up.

[Cyborg]

When I get home whatever I have been drinking I always measure my bs, take my basal rate to 'pissed' which is normal just without the dawn phenomenon

Before going to bed, I always change my basal rate after drinking also. Most of the time, my DP does not occur after a night of drinking.

[jillsp]

I'm trying to stay out of this (largely because I've said all I really can say on the subject of drinks and diabetes before) but I'd second the advice about cocktails, and indeed alcopops in general. They've usually got as much sugar in them as an energy drink and to be honest, once you've drunk a couple, the reductive affect of the alcohol is negated and you'll actually wake up running high.

You don't want to wake up hungover with high blood sugar - you haven't had a 'real' hangover until you've done that. It's definitely not my idea of fun to still be hungover 12 hours after waking up.


To add to the above, waking up hungover with a bs of 40 is the WORST feeling in the world. You are so hungover you can't eat, but you have to chug juice or worse choke down glucose tabs b/c your sugar is low. I've done it once and it's not worth it.

When I drink, I drink only light beer or red wine. I can't handle anything else. I usually don't bolus for either one b/c I seem to level out somehow, but I check frequently when drinking. I was not so responsible in college and ended up in the ER twice with a dextrose drip. Be careful, I was so stupid when I was young. Although I must add, those nights when I got put on dextrose and IV fluids I didn't have a hangover b/c they had hydrated me!!! not funny.....well kinda

[modbom]

I have found that the day after drinking I sometimes have lower bs all day I (if I drank alot). I have in the past eaten pizza before going to sleep to use the slow and long affect on bg that pizza has to my advantage. I felt like I had practically found a cure when I realized that I could get drunk on beer and then eat pizza before bed and break even by the next morning! I'm a little older and wiser now and I rarely drink. I've had a few big scares with extremely low bgs while drunk. I don't know how I would have made it had someone not helped me. Please be real careful if you drink and don't get sloppy drunk.

[Lex4153]

What about Bacardi and Diet Coke? I've heard it's no-carb, no-sugar. I drank three the other night and was a bit high afterwards, but the next morning I had my lowest fasting reading yet, 99.

[DeusXM]

In my personal opinion, it is especially unwise for Diabetics to get drunk because they may confuse the tipsy feeling with a low sugar or may not remember to keep as close of a watch on sugar levels.

Not true. The symptoms of hypo (to the person suffering) are VERY different to those of being drunk. It's the spectators who can't tell the difference.

[JediSkipdogg]

Not true. The symptoms of hypo (to the person suffering) are VERY different to those of being drunk. It's the spectators who can't tell the difference.

Agree and disagree. I agree that the spectators are the main ones. But while drunk you aren't in the rind mindset to treat your diabetes. Having a good time is pretty much the #1 priority. Diabetes probably falls somewhere around #10. Alcohol alters the mind, and running low many times alters the mind. So in the sense of what happens in the mind, they both do the same thing. Alcohol doesn't bring on shakes or sweating, but the main part is it alters the mind, which is where your decision making on what to do comes from.