[MikeD704]

I am only 24 years old and when my friends get together we would always drink alcohol and watch/play any number of sports. will I ever be able to participate in my normal social life again or will i be forever a sober outcast? I do not even enjoy hanging out with them since ive been diagnosed...It gets very annoying being a sober person that watches a buch of drunks make asses of themselves. I would just appreciate some advice..i know there are many more important things than alcohol (i.e. health) but i would still like to have some parts of my life remain somewhat the same before i was cursed with this **** disease.

[SueM]

Mike, there is nothing to stop you drinking. Just do it in moderation.
IE show your maturity.
Looking on the positive side drinking too much is an expensive way to pee
I must admit I find it pretty sad that you feel you have to get hamered to enjoy yourself.

[yannah]

Oh.....I miss my old life soooo bad. I totally understand.
I want to be healthy and care free. I am so burdened by diabetes. I may calm down if I ever get my numbers under control. i don't know. but I am pretty uptight all the time.

[drummingfool]

It's okay to drink, but do it in moderation.

Although your family, friends and your endo may say not to, everyone is different. A couple bud lights isnt going to kill you. Just make sure you keep a close eye on your sugars!

[Erin]

I've had this disease since I was 8, and nothing stops me from getting hammered every now and again. When I was younger (I guess around your age... although I'm not that much older i *feel* that much older... and my non-d friends feel the same way. I think your body changes a LOT between 24 and 26... or we just killed too many liver/brain/lung cells and are paying the price.)

Anyway where was I before I distracted myself. Oh yes, drinking. You don't have to be sober for your whole life. I suggest saying "dry" until you get your numbers sorted and then re-introduce alcohol slowly so you know what effect it has on you. That's what I did anyway. Well, I had never drank before dx, since I was 8, but i had a good 10 years to figure out this D thing before starting to drink heavily. You don't have to wait 10 years, but give yourself some time.

And until you know what drink does to your sugars, test, test, test, test, test.

One or two beers (in my experience) has a negligible effect on blood sugar levels. Especially if they are drank with food. 6 or 7 + beers on the other hand has a big effect. For me it's Up up up and then down down down. But once you know what it does it's not hard to manage. (and I'm not claiming drinking 6 or 7 beers is good for anybody. I'm just saying you can do it and still maintain decent blood sugar control).

Do a search. We've discussed drinking on here loads of times.

[xMenace]

I never let it stop me.

[Tropical83]

I know how you feel Mike, none of my friends are diabetic but they know I am and they're always on the look out for me. I've done a lot of research on alcohol, beer, wine, spirits and I've made my own "Aime can drink this cheat sheet". I've looked up all the beers and have come to find out that I can drink low-carb beers such as: Michelob Ultra, Miller Lite, Bud Select, MGD 64 without much problem. Surprisingly, my sugars stay between 80 - 160. I know that's a huge range but it's not THAT bad if you think about it. Wine is a little different for me, some of them sky-rocket my sugars and others just kind of cruise but I've gotta dose a little bit (waste of insulin huh?). Clear spirits (vodka) is awesome but I definitely keep that under moderation because it makes my sugar climb and then drop - even on the next day. So, I make sure to check my sugar every hour on the hour and keep starches with me. The hangovers are pretty bad though and I eat without having to dose most of the day.

It takes practice and A LOT of checking but it doesn't HAVE to stop you. Just moderate and do some research online and on yourself. Good luck!

[mageerobin]

There is a scene in Disney's "The Lion King" where the monkey shaman character Rafiki knocks Simba over the head with his staff. Simba asks "what did you do that for" Rafiki replies "What does it matter? It's in the past."

That is where all of our old lives are unfortunately. And the older you get the more your body will change how it reacts to pollen, colds, different foods... you name it.

I was always able to feel a hypo moment coming far in advance, but now in the summer usually it sneaks up on me without warning.

So be careful while drinking and check BG often.

[sugardumplin]

Hey, I wish I had my old life back too. I have been at it for a year now. Things are so different. While I am not missing drinking with my friends... I just miss feeling better and being able to eat what I want when I want.

As for the alcohol, I drink Pinot Grigio. One glass of wine will do it. I get a nice calming effect and it actually lowers my blood sugar and I am not really sure why when everyone else says wine raises theirs. Give pinot grigio a try- bella sara brand at walmart.

[Mich]

Hi Mike, Buck up. You don't have to stop drinking. Erin gave you great advice.

I've been type 1 nearly 50 years and have always enjoyed alcohol--even a bit too much when I was your age. That was before meters so I was guessing about my blood sugars, but I noted even then that it seemed to lower my sugar for some reason. Well, that wasn't really so, but close.

Now we know that alcohol DELAYS how fast your food is metabolized in your liver. So darn, you still have to eat sensibly with the carbs and (like Erin said) test test test to see how you will need to correct for your meal with insulin. You may need to take less insulin with your meal and correct every two hours for a while. It's a good reason to low-carb while you are drinking so you have less correcting to do later.

Beer has carbs to varying degrees but rum, gin, vodka, and even wine do not. Get yourself the CALORIE KING book and keep track so you know if you need to compensate for whatever you are drinking. There have been some great suggestions for sugar (and carb) free mixers on this board.

You're still one of the gang. Just smarter. Have fun.

Mich

[Erin]

Originally Posted by Mich

Now we know that alcohol DELAYS how fast your food is metabolized in your liver. So darn, you still have to eat sensibly with the carbs and (like Erin said) test test test to see how you will need to correct for your meal with insulin. You may need to take less insulin with your meal and correct every two hours for a while. It's a good reason to low-carb while you are drinking so you have less correcting to do later.

Low carbing is one idea... I've never experimented with that... I actually found that Pizza and Beer work really great together, from a blood sugar standpoint. (Wine even moreso, but it's less of a match taste-wise with the pizza)

The delayed lowering of blood glucose from the alcohol matches perfectly (for me) with the fat induced delayed rise from the pizza. Now I tell my fiancee, I have to drink beer and eat pizza when the game is on... one without the other messes up my bg.

[drummingfool]

I'll be honest. On my 21st, I got HAMMERED with a captial DRUNK.
I kept checking my sugar, though. And I was able to keep control of it. I cant reiterate that enough.

You just have to remember that you are a person with diabetes. You have it, it doesn't have you. Don't let yourself be defined by it! Live with it, take care of it, but dont coddle it and let it run you. You are in control of it.

Your life as a diabetic can be just as fun, if not more fun than anyone else's. I consider myself lucky to be so aware of how important life is. If I didnt have diabetes, I wouldnt truly appreciate it as much as I do.

So have a drink! I'll toast to you and yours!

*Cheers!*

[Psycho Penguin]

I'm 24 and I have my days but nothing will prevent you from living a good life if you watch your sugars and all that, man. Hang in there.

(Just moderate your alcohol which non-diabetics should be doing, anyways.)

[buddy7]

Originally Posted by MikeD704

I am only 24 years old and when my friends get together we would always drink alcohol and watch/play any number of sports. but i would still like to have some parts of my life remain somewhat the same before i was cursed with this **** disease.

Hi Mike!!

Why embrace the idea on getting plastered, when you and your mates get together, surely you and your mates will enjoy watching or playing sports, more so, with-out the alcohol, there is no control being paralytic with drink.

There's life out there, with-out the alcohol!!!

The way I see it, you're a T1. Shouldn't your health take priority over the alcohol? no one is saying you can't have a drink, but don't be silly about it.

You are not cursed with the diabetes, and you're not alone, well!! I'll say, that's how the cookie crumbles, be advised, at 24 be realistic, get a grip of your life, there's only one route for that alcohol, in the bin, unless you want to join it.

B/7 ESSEX UK.

[parrotletzoo]

It's all been said on the drinking bit, but don't forget you can still watch/play sports too. Diabetes won't prevent you from any activity if its done with some precaution and regards to bloodsugar levels.