[jimbo22]

Hey guys,
Was diagnosed about 3 months and have found these forums a massive help.
I'm reachng the stage where i'm happy with my control of D and am starting play round with alcohol. I'm only on small amouonts of insulin too so i;ve been told. Being a 21 year old uni student from Australia, drinking was a fair part of my life. So far i've only had a few drinks during the last few months and find that this doesn't effect me too much. I got a few 21st in the next few months so i want to get back into the drinking. I understand the whole must be carfeful and test more often and be carefull the next day stuff but my question is to do with insulin.

When i go out say we go out to a pub for dinner and keep going from there, should i have my normal insulin or less. Also when i would be taking my night time dosage say 10:30 at night, should i still have this when i'm out drinking and take less or wait till i get home.
When i say drinking i dont mean so many drinks that i cant remember where i am and out of control. More like more drinks that just 2 or 3.
This has been a masive change in my life and understand that i'll never be like i was before but would like to be halfway there.
Thanks
James

[corwin]

Hey James,
Let me start by saying I'm even more new to this disease then you, so keep it in mind when reading my reply. I did however had more then a couple of nights with 2-3 and even 4-5 drinks and I kept a very close watch on my bg levels while doing it.
You said you need very little insulin so you are probably still in your honeymoon period like me which seem to make it a lot easier. I found out that I need to bolus about half as much for the carb count in the alcohol and I bolus as usuall to everything I eat before or after drinking. This cause a very small spike in my levels to around 160 and it goes right back to normal in 1-2 hours.
I wouldn't play with my basal dose unless you are really getting out of control drunk, I doubt the effect on the liver will be bigger then the mildly higher levels because of the carbs in the drinks and you will mess up your numbers next day without the normal basal rate.
There are also few other threads with very detailed replys from people who are doing this for years that you might want to read.
I hope this helps,
Corwin.

[befni]

hey jimbo, i had similar issues when i first started drinking again. To be honest it depends on what your drink is? Obviously drinking alchopops is a big no no, however lager, and shorts such as vodka are ok as long as they are not mixed with full sugar drinks. The way i deal with it is to eat and inject as normal for my evening meal, then begin drinking and monitor my bs more closely, if by a couple of hours its down again i will have a bar snack such as crisps or nuts and continue. At the end of the night regardless of whether i am hungary or not i have something to eat before i go to sleep! Sorry for the lengthy reply but hopefully it helps you

Good Luck and have one for me

[DeusXM]

You can still drink - it's just a question of relearning how to drink now you have diabetes.

A good way to start is exactly as you've suggested - a few drinks in a relatively 'sober' environment with food available. Test ofter (hourly in this case, maybe) and that'll start to give you an idea of the interaction between alcohol, insulin and blood sugar. Many people find that alcohol causes them to spike quite high for a couple of hours, before plummeting back down.

The most important thing to remember when drinking is eat something starchy.

There are several threads you can also look at for advice:

http://www.diabetesforums.com/type-1...s-alcohol.html
http://www.diabetesforums.com/diabet...-diabetes.html
Drinking???

And here's the good news - once you learn how your system works and how to deal with potential problems, you can drink exactly like you used to be able to before you developed diabetes. As long as you've always got an insulin pen and glucose tablets with you, you're prepared for any situation and as near indestructable as you're ever going to get.

[Doetsch]

I drink quite often and I never really have any problems. The trick is to Check often when you are first starting to drink again. This will give you an idea how the alcohol reacts with your readings. Every person is different so you need to check so you don't have a emergency while you are not able to fix the problem. I generally eat a large meal before I go out and I make sure to have a correction with my bolus. The same if I was having a meal with low blood sugar. I just give myself a few units fewer than I normally take for the specific amount of carbs I am ingesting. From there, I check between 30min and 1 1/2 hours depending on how I am feeling. Just bring lots of strips and have some fun

Diabetes is a pain in the a** but don't let it stop you from going out with your mates. You just have to be smart and responsible about it. More so than your friends. Have Fun

[psilocybin]

i drink fairly often as well, and trust me being in the honeymoon period makes it alot easier (from what ive heard). i do see a major spike in my bgs around 2 hours after drinking.,..im still trying to figure it out because sometimes i need to correct it and sometimes it goes back down by itself. weird...but sometimes i go all the way up to like 14 (ketone country) and it returns to normal byitself...but sometimes i need to correcct. its a tough thing to learn when having diabetes but when u get the hang of it it will be second nature

[jimbo22]

hey guys, yeah everything you have said matches what i've read everywhere so i think i got down pat enough to start putting it into practice. I manly drink beer/scotch so thats pretty easy as long as i have the good old diet coke with it. I've done a search but still cant find the answer to this question though, do i still have my normal long acting insulin at night, whilst i'm out drinking or wait a few hours till i'm home and done for the night.
Thanks for clearing a few things up

[DeusXM]

You should have your long-acting insulin at the same time every day - otherwise you're going to end up with an overlap or underlap which will cause you a lot of problems.

I would also take the same amount - remember, your long-acting insulin affects the whole of your next day.

[Doetsch]

Originally Posted by jimbo22

do i still have my normal long acting insulin at night, whilst i'm out drinking or wait a few hours till i'm home and done for the night.

Never miss a shot. You need to take your Basal (Long Acting) Insulin at the same time every day, give or take an hour.

[Apple]

Hope this thread is of some assistance

Consuming Alcohol

[DeusXM]

Also, if it's any consolation, I'm on my third shot of absinthe and it's not even 8pm yet.

I have to spend an evening with my boss - if you've met her you'll understand precisely why I'm 'pre-gaming' before a works night out.