[adam_fozz]

Wow there's alot of misleading info about this on the Internet! I want answers from people who have experienced these things not people who THINK they know having studied biology at high school!!!

I drink very little and often go months without a drink. Yesterday I decided to have a drink for the first time since diagnosis and so I had a 2 JD and diet cokes and a mouthful or two of wine. I didn't finish the wine because I checked my bg and it was just over 10.

Now I did have a carb full dinner earlier but my numbers have generally been about 7ish before bed so I think the alcohol is doing something to me. Having discussed with the nurse and reading some websites I expected downwards movement of my bg but that didn't happen.

If anyone has experienced anything like this I would love to hear from you. Maybe what I drank is the issue (please don't say it's JD...it's my favourite!)

Thanks in advance
Adam_Fozz

[dano]

Here is the best link that I can find, which pretty much describes what I have experienced. In a nut shell, one or two is probably OK, just treat it like food, excess drinking will cause the blood glucose level to go very low. I hope the information helps.

On a side note: I don't think that it is the Tennessee sour mash. It couldn't be, I live in the bourbon and whiskey capital of the world. I am right in the middle of Jack Daniels and Wild Turkey.

[adam_fozz]

Thanks Dano. Reading that website my guess is that it was a mixture of the big dinner and the wine which was quite sweet. I think also that I have been mislead about the effects of alcohol. I don't think the lowering bg would necessarily happen with two shots of Jack but certainly would effect glucose levels after several.

And here's me thinking that a carb filled dinner can be counteracted with some liquor!

Adam_Fozz

[adam_fozz]

PS Lucky you with the location. Always wanted to visit the distillery. Maybe for my 30th next year!

Adam_Fozz

[dano]

No. the alcohol won't lower the blood glucose after two drinks. It will lower it after several, been there and done that. You are most-likely correct in that it was the meal. Normally, if I have a big dinner meal that is difficult to calculate I do a blood test before going to bed and bolus for the blood sugar high. This method seems to work well for me. However, there are always those meals with complex carbs that are always difficult to deal with.

I hope you are able to visit the Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg, TN. It is a very neat place with lots to see. They have a website with lots of information. Be warned when you go there, the distillery is near a very small town. There is nothing else to do, except enjoy your favorite adult beverage. Enjoy!

[adam_fozz]

Good advice dano. Part of my issue is since I am in the honeymoon period I am on fixed doses do I can't self medicate yet.

I thought jd country would be quiet. I live in a very small village here in the uk so I'm used to that! My plan was to go to somewhere more lively and take an internal flight to Tennessee during the holiday (or drive).

Adam_Fozz

[wardmw]

Hi Adam,

Just following up on your post and the useful info from Dano's website I thought you'd like some experiential information, i.e. this is what happens to me:

During and shortly after a heavy session my BGs are higher than normal, but around three hours after the last drink it goes in to free fall, I had a few serious night time hypos before I figured this out.

I drink fairly regularly but one or two times a year I get totally trolleyed at a few regular parties, so the regime I use is:
1. Set an alarm in my tent/room for about three or four AM, three hours after I expect to get to bed.
2. Eat a decent meal with lots of complex carbs before I start, or fairly soon after anyway (one of the parties I go to is a motorcycle rally and in these instances the "complex carbs" consists of chips because that's all there is!)
3. Before going to sleep perform a blood test and eat more complex carbs (peanuts at the afore-mentioned rally).
4. If I do wake up with the alarm goes off (see 1 above) do another test and eat if required.

Note that this is not a recipe for a long diabetic life. All the carbs you eat will push you high and that will a) need to be dealt with in the morning and b) could cause you problems in the far future (retinopathy et al). I use this regime not to live forever but to enjoy life with a little modicum of personal care.

To quote Hunter S. Thompson: Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!'"

[splix]

New answer to an old thread, I know but here is my personal experience and advice from my doctors and nurses.

Alcohol lowers your blood sugar due to the fact that when consumed, this is the body’s #1 prio to break down as it’s considered a toxic. The liver which normally helps to release and regulate sugar into the blood, is occupied to break down the alcohol. So If you’re getting low for some reason, it can’t release sugar to “recoil” the blood sugar back to a "good" level. If getting “hammered”, the best thing to do on your way to bed is to eat a high fat meal, (your average McDonalds meal). Your blood sugar is going to be messed up anyways. If you try to measure and regulate blood sugars before going to bed or set an alarm and such, you can get into trouble as the body can react fast with alcohol in your bloodstream. To eat a sturdy meal is the best way to counterfeit the alcohol during sleep.

When I’m away on a whiskey tasting (single malt fan here) I can see my blood sugar drop from 8 mmol/l to 3 in less than an hour. I aim to be at 4-6 mmol/l before meals and around 6-8mmol/l 1-2 hrs after. When drinking I try to begin a little higher, say 8-10mmol/l so that I don’t “crash”. Translated to US measures I drink around 10 ounces over a 1-1½ hour period.

As all alcohol beverages lowers blood sugar, it’s important to keep track of what you drink and how much. To measure blood sugar before going to bed and “lower” a high BG with fast acting insulin after consuming alcohol could be fatal. You might also want to ease up on the slow acting insulin as well if taken before bed.

I read the link dano posted. I’m a bit curious about the US approach to everything. Count carbs, count fat, don’t do this, and don’t do that. Just to read the “Alcohol can cause flushing, nausea, increased heart rate, and slurred speech.” made me laugh a little. It’s kind of obvious. To suggest a person to not do anything means they don’t get hurt, but then again, what’s their reason to live?

My doctors’ advice is simple, “live as the normal person you are”. Sure you have to take a shot of insulin or two, but don’t fixate your life on what food and beverages you can or can’t consume. If it’s your life’s mission or your biggest hobby, to count every carb you consume before your die, so be it. If you compete as a body builder it is necessary, not sure if it helps you get another year or two out of life, than if you didn’t.

[KShu]

My experience has been the same as the previous 2 posts. If I have a drink in the evening, my sugar usually spikes right afterward like It would after a sugary snack, but about 2-3 hours later it drops rapidly and I go low.

I had a few low blood sugars in the night before I made this correlation... The sugar/carbs in the drink raise blood sugar levels initially, then (like the previous posts says) the alcohol causes a rapid bloodsugar drop. I only really see this if I've had more than one drink (I mostly just drink beer & wine). To prevent the drop, I just give less insulin to cover the carbs in the drink. I usually give about half the amount of insulin that I would usually need (half of my pump bolus for the carbs) before I go to sleep and my numbers turn out just fine by morning.

I know that this works for me but I also know that everyone reacts differently to alcohol, so your experience could be quite different. Just keep an eye out for that rapid plunge in blood sugars a couple hours after you drink, and maybe try to have a snack with protein in it before you go to sleep.

Happy drinking!
-Kelly

[sdupo]

I have 4-6 crown and coks daily after work. On weekends I have more. My blood sugars have never been affected by either slight or extreme drunkenness. My doctor approves and drinks with me on Tuesday nights. He often has too much, but we have never tested his BG because he is not diabetic. YET!! He only works half a day and exercises very little. He is overweight and lacks personal grooming skills. But he says daily alcohol consumption flushes out the system. I feel great and my blood sugars run 70-100. I see no reason why heavy drinking should compromise anyone's diabetic control. Good luck.