So, I just turned 21 and I was wondering how you guys keep control of your blood sugar when you have a drink? I have heard that drinking can actually make you go low. I don’t plan on drinking a whole lot but I would like to enjoy a drink with friends every now and then so I was just wanting to know how to make sure I don’t get too high or low after having a drink or two. Any tips/advice would be great!
diabetes is like a science experiment. go slow, and test often.
if you go low, treat it the same way would normally treat it.
drunk and low appear similar, sometimes, and can lead to disasters if you get yourself into big trouble.
here’s how it (the sugar thing) works for me:
beer - slowly raises my blood sugar so I use insulin with beer
wine - nothing
hard liquor - sometimes causes a little low, cheese and crackers brings by BS up slowly anyway so I tend to “graze” a little
fruity sweet mixed drinks - Not my style, I woudl think it raises blood sugar but I have not tested this one myself.
happy 21. please be careful and all.
I reiterate Joe’s comments regarding how different types of alcohol affect BG for me. I’ve heard different info about alcohol causing BG to drop but that really depends on how much, what alcohol (beer, wine, hard) or what its mixed with. So, as Joe says, its an experiment and you’ll have to do trial and error for yourself. Also, being buzzed or drunk can confuse or mask your body’s normal warning signals for having a low BG so be careful with that.
Yeah, I’ve found that the alcohol content is ultimately what determines how low I go. I only like sweet wines like Moscato, so I have to give myself a bolus up front, then a few hours later I set a slightly lower temporary basal rate for a few hours. If it’s a mixed drink with vodka or rum, I lower it a little more. It takes a lot of experimentation to find what works for you, and obviously having a pump and CGM helps a lot. I usually only have one drink because I need to keep my wits about me and remember to check my BG. But once in a while I have two and my hubby makes sure I check myself every hour or two.
Like Joe mentioned, you just have to experiment and make adjustments. Be extra careful with straight hard alcohol. Once you have alcohol circulating in your body, your liver is focused on removing it and harder to breakdown glycogen to glucose if you do get low. Always good to eat something while drinking.
Im different than all of you. All alcohol makes me skyrocket - and then I dip a couple hours later.
hey guys i am type 1 , I likes beer only and would usually have on weekend, as i know beer is on of the high calori drink compare to other alcoholic drink , i used take 30-70 human insulin. i took 4-5 point more when i m going to have it. so frnds what are ur views or what are u all are doing when having beer ?or may i doing wrong pls reply
hi @Harpalsinh,
you aren’t doing anything wrong… IMO, 30/70 is a bit of a pain when you are eating only fast acting carbs but I have found it’s pretty good with long lasting carbs. you said “used to” what are you using now?
anyway, full bodied beer such as ales and most non- “lite” lagers I bolus for 10-18 grams of carbs per beer. I use only fast acting (insulin lispro - “Humalog”) the actual amount of your bolus injection would be adjusted by your sensitivity, your bs at the time, and how active you are going to be for the next 4 hours.