Alcohol and Diabetes

Alcohol moves quickly into your body without being broken down in your stomach the way food is
Within 5 minutes there is enough alcohol in your blood to measure
The liver wants to clear the alcohol quickly as it can’t release any glucose stores until it has taken care of the alcohol

Don’t drink on an empty stomach – have carbohydrate snacks like bread, crackers and cheese, popcorn
Drink other things in between alcoholic drinks like water, diet fizzy, juice (will provide some carb if there’s not much food around)
Never count the carbohydrates from alcohol as part of your food intake
Don’t swap alcohol for food
You may need to have more carbohydrates at bedtime and less insulin overnight and the following day
Exercise lowers blood glucose levels and drinking may lower them further so it’s good to remember this if you are dancing as well as drinking

It can be hard to tell the difference between hypo symptoms and getting drunk
Have your meter, some glucose and carb snacks with you
Make sure your friend/s know you have diabetes and what to do if you go low and when they need to call for help
Wear your medic alert bracelet / pendant

Because the liver is processing the alcohol it can’t release glucose stores if your blood glucose level starts to drop
Glucagen injections are not any use if you have alcohol on board and go into a hypo
So you need to eat when you are drinking alcohol
Hypos can occur overnight or even as late as during the next day

Before you go to bed eat some supper (no rapid acting insulin with it) e.g. multigrain toast, banana, milk drink OR pop into your nearest BK or similar!
Reduce your long acting insulin by 20% / temporary basal of -20% on your pump, more if you have been dancing
Next morning check again and have some carbs for breakfast, may need less insulin to avoid hypo
Drink plenty of water or diet drinks
Watch for delayed hypos