Diabetes and alcohol

hey there:slight_smile:
I have never tried drinking wine and I wanted to ask how wine affects your BS? Does it even have influence on it? Thanks!

Hi @agne,

A glass or two of wine does not have any effect on my BGL when I drink it with food - yes, I bolus normally for the food.
But that is my aged body with 60+ years of insulin dependence; every body is different, so be cautious. Iā€™d suggest that before your ā€œfirstā€, that you be in a relatively good place with your glucose levels and not having experienced unusual activity. Never take alcohol if your BG is low because alcohol can lower BG and the ā€œbuzzā€ from your drink might mimic low glucose.

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A glass or two of red wine will generally lower mine a bit. Craft beer gives a very temporary increase (I learned the hard way not to correct) then has a slight lowering effect. Bad combo is intensive work out followed by alcohol and hot tub (Will go hypo unless I snack)

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@Dennis, do you eat your usual carb ratio if you are having a glass of wine as well? Iā€™m about to turn 21 and adding alcohol into the mix is something that makes me increasingly nervous. I was told to definitely still eat carbs like everyone else but to also increase the amount of protein Iā€™m consuming; do you agree or have any other tips?

Sarah @Sarah1196 ,

Sarah I smile to myself as you ask questions about wine and the fact that you will soon be 21; our granddaughter, also named Sarah, will be 21 in just over two months and she too will be drinking wine - she does not have diabetes but did have a sip at our last dinner party - and had questions.

Yes, I definitely keep my same carb ratios when I enjoy my wine with dinner and when I count all the carbs in the food correctly, my BGL a few hours later is usually just where I want it to be. I would suggest caution when you have your first few glasses [ well, always caution with anything new] and have a glass of wine with a meal that you know so that other factors are not affecting your BG. If you are eating at a restaurant, check the carb content in the meal and have a good idea what your bolus amount should be; CalorieKing has fairly accurate carb counts for chain restaurants. Having a glass of wine at a meal you prepare and know carbs for your portion size is a ā€˜safeā€™ time to learn.

I like that you feel comfortable, you say ā€˜increasingly nervousā€™, about leading a normal, full life and managing your diabetes to fit your lifestyle; there really isnā€™t anything we can not do or achieve.

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@Dennis @sneathbupp thanks! I went to my friendā€™s 18 birthday a few days ago (since I live in Europe and the 18 is the allowed drinking age) and had a glass of wine, so I took you advice and everything turned out all right:)) Thanks one more time!

Hi @agne, Iā€™m really happy that my / our suggestions worked well for you. I always hesitate when offering advice such as that - different foods, alcohol and medications can affect each of us differently.
What I say here is based on my own experiences, mostly, and on suggestions and information shared with me.