can I still live a college life

[jamal]

I was wondering now that I am diagnosed with type 1diabeties can I still go out to eat with my friends or get wasted....how much alcohol can I consume....I havnt drank ever since I was diagnosed but can I still....

[xMenace]

Eating of course.

Getting wasted yes. Is it safe? No. You can manage hypo risk by staying high, but you'll add slightly to long term complications risk. If you do go hypo, well, good luck. Hopefully your liver rocks! Actually livers do a great job saving us.

You really should have a decent understanding of your own patterns and of how alcohol affects your BGs. Alcohol tends to shut down your liver production of glucose, so some hours after you finish drinking, you'll tend to plummet.

If pumping, cut your basals by 50% one hour and fifteen minutes for every ounce of alcohol you consume. Four drinks means a five hour reduction. 12 drinks means a 15 hr reduction.

Another common remedy is to eat. I would always make sure I had extra food in me. Of course that doesn't always mix with alcohol. You could also cut back on your meal boluses a bit.

Bolus for beer? If your going to get wasted, I wouldn't. If your going to have a few, yes, definately-maybe bolus for them.

[ant hill]

Hello Jamal, Yes!! but if I were to get plastered on alcohol have something to eat with the drink as the alcohol will force the Blood Glucose down and getting drunk will also have a low and you don't want that at all. As you get to know that what drinking can do to you then you may have another tactic.
More over if you drink then have something to eat. :)

[MJM]

xMenace and Anthill covered everything that I was going to say. I did however experience the downside of alcohol overconsumption in my younger days, and it's not pleasant. Do as everyone, diabetic or not, should do, drink sensibly.

[ant hill]

Hey good point MJM. ;) Enjoy the taste, Not the alcohol. :D

[gsnider]

Hey good point MJM. ;) Enjoy the taste, Not the alcohol. :D

I like to enjoy both!

[DeusXM]

You can lead a full college life with diabetes. I know I sure did. But you do need to know and understand your body. You need to know how you react to alcohol and how to spot warning signs. Don't go getting wasted on your first night if you haven't drunk since diagnosis. Practise with small amounts before you go to college and then hopefully you should have a better idea of how to manage your diabetes.

[Delphinus]

I was wondering now that I am diagnosed with type 1diabeties can I still go out to eat with my friends or get wasted....how much alcohol can I consume....I havnt drank ever since I was diagnosed but can I still....

Jamal, there really isn't a heavy duty game plan for drinking when you are diabetic.

I have found it is as simple as nibbling on say cashews, or peanuts as you go.

It will keep your numbers in a decent range as long as you pace yourself.

Eventually you will learn what your diabetic limits are.

[kt89]

hey :)

i was diagnosed a month ago and im still living the dream. haha

i was scared to drink and go out with friends to start with but my friends are so cool with it all i was back on the horse in no time.

i guess its just harder to know if you're low when you drink. i get my friends to remind me to test. its hard to remember to take care of yourself though after a few drinks. I've forgotten my basal a few times from crashing in bed without thinking. I guess im still not used to everything.

on the whole i noticed that alcohol doesnt really effect my levels too much. my liver must be a trooper. i can drink beer, spirits or wine and my levels dont go too high or low. howeverrr the day after, i think when my liver is repairing itself, my levels are generally lower so i don't need as much insulin. still figuring all this stuff out!!

let me know how you go! x

[GayleM]

You've just been diagnosed with a serious disease and you are wondering about your ability to get "wasted?"

Get your diabetes under control first, for gosh sakes! I think you need to re-think your priorities a bit. Getting "wasted" isn't healhty for anyone, let alone a diabetic. Believe me, we can all make fools of ourselves without benefit of being drunk.

I hate to sound like your parent, but if you are just starting college you aren't of legal age most likely to drink at all.

[alexalisbeth]

your liver stops producing glucose when there is alcohol in your bloodstream. (In other words, the only sugar getting to your blood is that which is sugar in its food form - not complex carb) That's about all you really need to know. Watch out for mixers with sugar. And (I mean this in the nicest way) don't be an idiot.

[sarahspins]

your liver stops producing glucose when there is alcohol in your bloodstream. (In other words, the only sugar getting to your blood is that which is sugar in its food form - not complex carb) That's about all you really need to know. Watch out for mixers with sugar. And (I mean this in the nicest way) don't be an idiot.

I think it's also important to note that glucagon will NOT work effectively when your liver is processing alcohol. So if you did have a severe low, you need an IV with glucose, not just glucagon. It can be a severe emergency.

I personally opt to run a bit high when I do choose to drink alcohol - nothing outrageous, but the upper 100's is more of a "safe place" to be than around 100, because if you did have a sudden or unexpected hypo, you may be SOL before you can get help - especially if you've drunk so much that you're throwing up (I've only done that once, with my dad, I was 24, and I will *never* do it again - too scary, and too stupid, and it's not worth it).

Having a casual drink or two here and there is really no big deal though.. getting wasted however, is not safe, diabetic or not. You can get a good buzz off just a couple of drinks.. IMO there's no reason to go binge drinking.

[cwathne]

most everything posted here is very good information

I'll add (if it wasn't mentioned) that you should start small and work your way up. See how a couple beers in a night affect you, then 3 or 4, then more over a course of a few weeks, and dont just "get hammered" without knowing what it does to you.

btw, I'm a junior in college right now. I party/drink on a weekly basis, I have a 3.76 cumulative GPA and I am on a cycling team. As long as you are on top of your Type 1 you can do whatever you want.

Dont be embarrassed to test your blood sugar in front of people, and let others (roommates) know about your Type 1. People with think its cool that you tell them.

[ant hill]

btw, I'm a junior in college right now. I party/drink on a weekly basis, I have a 3.76 cumulative GPA and I am on a cycling team. As long as you are on top of your Type 1 you can do whatever you want.

Dont be embarrassed to test your blood sugar in front of people, and let others (roommates) know about your Type 1. People with think its cool that you tell them.

I am with Cwathne on this one, As long that you're fit and have good habits you should do well but the song still remain the same. Or Alcohol will affect you and loose BG to low levels. So whatch it!!! Please test, Have a drink *hic* test have a few more cans, Pizza!! and a test. And so the la de da. Take the bolus with less 10 - 20% off your normal take doses.

Please please test!!!!!!!!!!!;):):D:T

[gsnider]

I'd like to add that I also cut down on my nightly basal when I drink. I only take 6 units at night so if I do get drunk (4+ drinks) I don't inject anything that night and wake up in the 130ish range. It's better to wake up a little high than to slip into a coma in your sleep. Ditto on testing the waters and getting back into it slowly