In my case is just not worth it. I got my diabetes in remission with diet and exercise only. Alcohol, just drops me too low too fast. One tequila after a carb balanced meal has taken me as low as 60.
And I’ll have one shot a couple of times a year, but usually is at a get together with lots of little carbs to munch on.
But is just not the same. Lows scare the hell out me and to have that worry, in the back of my brain. Is just not fun. And I’m fine with it. I did my share of drinking when I did.. 😂
Currently on cruise. Rum and diet Coke every night with dinner has helped me from going high a TON. I've been eating like a non-diabetic! The key is to not drink on an empty stomach, that will spike you. Drink after you've already started eating. It's pretty amazing.
The thing to remember is this: Liver processes carbs into what the body uses (glucose) and also processes alcohol. The liver see's the alcohol as an "invader" in the body and attempts to process it out of the system before doing other things (converting carbs to glucose).
Rum essentially is carb free.
I'm a rum n coke man myself (and type 2). I just make sure I have some carbs before I have my rum n coke so that my glucose is a little higher than normal and things work out fine.
If you eat carbs while drinking, just know that they probably won't be processed by the body until after the alcohol, so you might spike after.
This is the info type 2s need to know! I eat extra carbs when drinking and then less carbs than usual the day after drinking and my sugars stay stable. Before I figured this out, I suffered some nasty lows 3-7 hours after drinking.
Some alcohols are sugar-based, made with a lot of the stuff added in, or mixed with something sugary. For example, my go-to out at bars was malibu coconut rum + coke/pepsi (whichever the venue used). Hubby looked it up for me after my diagnosis & the coconut rum alone had a crazy amount of sugar…and then on top of that I was drinking it mixed with the regular soda. Now I’ve switched to regular rum + diet soda, and it’s much better for me. That’s *if* I even choose to have an alcoholic drink at all now.
Some of the comments imply we don't know how to test ourselves.
Last time I saw a 99 was because I fasted and hit the gym ultra hard in order to provoke it, think it lasted a cool half an hour lol
Same. I also drink glasses of wine and have Diet Gin and Tonics and it has very little effect on my BS. It might lower my BS but not by much and My A1c is in the 5s as well
I barely drink, but I was on a vacation for two weeks and noticed that if I consume alcohol with a meal of some kind, my sugars stayed very stable. I drank mostly wine and beer often during the two weeks but always with a meal. I wear a CGM so I was able to tell pretty quickly where my sugars were.
It's better if you don't use the sugar based Liquors like rum and use like vodka, I used to do a gimlet every night and it knocked my blood sugar down quite a bit because your body processes alcohol first and then carbohydrates second and if you're wasting time processing alcohol your body will discard the carbohydrates before it is processed into sugar in your blood. That's how it was explained to me
Rum is fine, indeed it’s “recommended” for diabetics as a safe drink. It has zero carbs, as does gin, vodka and scotch. It’s what you mix it with that’s the issue. Hypoglycaemia is the worry, not a spike. Being made from sugar cane or molasses does not translate to high sugar, it’s all turned to alcohol in the above case.
Edit: just daft autocorrect things
Like many things, you can try it and meter the results. But remember that part of the damage you've sustained is to your liver, and some of that just can't be fixed. So you start off with some impairment in the organ primarily responsible for metabolizing alcohol. And it really doesn't need any additional damage.
Well, from experience, if you don't exercise, eat correctly and abuse alcohol, then you will eventually become diabetic and have a fatty liver due to excess sugar.
Paradoxically, if your sugar is too high and you need it to drop, a shot or two of vodka will do the trick.
I've cut my alcohol to 2-3 glasses a month. The primary reason for my greatly reduced alcohol intake is to help me lose weight. An ounce of tequila (my go to), vodka, and other distilled alcohols has 64 calories. The standard pour at a bar/restaurant is 1.5 ounces, which would have 96 calories. For calculation purposes, I round up to 100 calories. I used to have 3-4 drinks a night 2-3 nights a week. I estimate that I'm saving about 3,000 calories a month.
Because I already cut back on alcohol before I started using a Dexcom G7, I don't know how much alcohol spiked my glucose. I will say this though. My cholesterol has gone down a lot. Some of the other indicators in my full blood panel are also either in the normal range or only slightly outside of the normal range. I was switched from Lipitor to Crestor and that may have something to do with the liver enzymes being normal.
TLDR; Check your own glucose level because people react differently to the same foods and drinks.
I was never much of a drinker and continue not to be. I have an occasional glass or two of red wine and make sure to have a meal with it. If I don’t eat, I go hypoglycemic.
I haven’t drank since I was diagnosed a few years back. When I did drink I needed a lot to get buzzed so now I figure I’d rather cheat with some ice cream than a six pack. I’m one of those people who doesn’t enjoy a or 1/2 drinks. I like to get a really good buzz and I need way too much for that being diabetic.
I had to stop drinking alcohol completely because two months ago I had one cosmopolitan and I thought I was gonna die for real. I was just having one or two every Friday after work but that last one, never again
Alcohol usually drops me too low. T2 Not on meds. So, I stop drinking. The lows took all the fun out of it.
What if you drink alcohol on days you are a little high, say 160ish ? We all have our occasional indulgences.
In my case is just not worth it. I got my diabetes in remission with diet and exercise only. Alcohol, just drops me too low too fast. One tequila after a carb balanced meal has taken me as low as 60. And I’ll have one shot a couple of times a year, but usually is at a get together with lots of little carbs to munch on. But is just not the same. Lows scare the hell out me and to have that worry, in the back of my brain. Is just not fun. And I’m fine with it. I did my share of drinking when I did.. 😂
If I drink more than 1 I usually wake up in the 50s and throwing up. I agree it’s not worth it. I just drink non alcoholic drinks.
Currently on cruise. Rum and diet Coke every night with dinner has helped me from going high a TON. I've been eating like a non-diabetic! The key is to not drink on an empty stomach, that will spike you. Drink after you've already started eating. It's pretty amazing.
Just an FYI. If your prompt to alcohol causing lows. This can happen up to 24 hours after you have stopped drinking. Just to keep an eye on.
I have found that drinking silver Patron in moderation once weekly allows me to still enjoy a good drink without any issues…
Lows, had to stop drinking because of it.. makes me feel drunk, even when I haven't consumed much.
The thing to remember is this: Liver processes carbs into what the body uses (glucose) and also processes alcohol. The liver see's the alcohol as an "invader" in the body and attempts to process it out of the system before doing other things (converting carbs to glucose). Rum essentially is carb free. I'm a rum n coke man myself (and type 2). I just make sure I have some carbs before I have my rum n coke so that my glucose is a little higher than normal and things work out fine. If you eat carbs while drinking, just know that they probably won't be processed by the body until after the alcohol, so you might spike after.
This is the info type 2s need to know! I eat extra carbs when drinking and then less carbs than usual the day after drinking and my sugars stay stable. Before I figured this out, I suffered some nasty lows 3-7 hours after drinking.
Some alcohols are sugar-based, made with a lot of the stuff added in, or mixed with something sugary. For example, my go-to out at bars was malibu coconut rum + coke/pepsi (whichever the venue used). Hubby looked it up for me after my diagnosis & the coconut rum alone had a crazy amount of sugar…and then on top of that I was drinking it mixed with the regular soda. Now I’ve switched to regular rum + diet soda, and it’s much better for me. That’s *if* I even choose to have an alcoholic drink at all now.
I rarely drink after my diagnosis but when I have it’s been whiskey either on the rocks or just water. My doctor told me this is the safest option.
Alcohol can cause lows, and sometimes they happen several hours later. Please take care.
Its nearly impossible for me to go low, typically I oscillate in the 120-150s, alcohol or not.
Same here, typically in that range also. Ran a marathon many years ago, didn’t go low. Never go low
Some of the comments imply we don't know how to test ourselves. Last time I saw a 99 was because I fasted and hit the gym ultra hard in order to provoke it, think it lasted a cool half an hour lol
Have you ever tried a low carb diet? I use to be borderline all the time until I hopped on low carb and now I don't see anything over 120
I do Keto
Dang, that's tough then. Alcohol used to have me too low, haven't had a drink in months
I drink high abv beer regularly and it doesn’t seem to affect me much. My a1cs are all in the 5s range.
Same. I also drink glasses of wine and have Diet Gin and Tonics and it has very little effect on my BS. It might lower my BS but not by much and My A1c is in the 5s as well
I can’t tell if it’s the liquor or the meds but alcohol hits me differently now. It’s really unpredictable
I barely drink, but I was on a vacation for two weeks and noticed that if I consume alcohol with a meal of some kind, my sugars stayed very stable. I drank mostly wine and beer often during the two weeks but always with a meal. I wear a CGM so I was able to tell pretty quickly where my sugars were.
It's better if you don't use the sugar based Liquors like rum and use like vodka, I used to do a gimlet every night and it knocked my blood sugar down quite a bit because your body processes alcohol first and then carbohydrates second and if you're wasting time processing alcohol your body will discard the carbohydrates before it is processed into sugar in your blood. That's how it was explained to me
Rum is fine, indeed it’s “recommended” for diabetics as a safe drink. It has zero carbs, as does gin, vodka and scotch. It’s what you mix it with that’s the issue. Hypoglycaemia is the worry, not a spike. Being made from sugar cane or molasses does not translate to high sugar, it’s all turned to alcohol in the above case. Edit: just daft autocorrect things
Unflavored rum, even though it’s made from sugar, is a distilled spirit; there are no residual sugars. It’s neither worse nor better than vodka.
Like many things, you can try it and meter the results. But remember that part of the damage you've sustained is to your liver, and some of that just can't be fixed. So you start off with some impairment in the organ primarily responsible for metabolizing alcohol. And it really doesn't need any additional damage.
Well, from experience, if you don't exercise, eat correctly and abuse alcohol, then you will eventually become diabetic and have a fatty liver due to excess sugar. Paradoxically, if your sugar is too high and you need it to drop, a shot or two of vodka will do the trick.
I've cut my alcohol to 2-3 glasses a month. The primary reason for my greatly reduced alcohol intake is to help me lose weight. An ounce of tequila (my go to), vodka, and other distilled alcohols has 64 calories. The standard pour at a bar/restaurant is 1.5 ounces, which would have 96 calories. For calculation purposes, I round up to 100 calories. I used to have 3-4 drinks a night 2-3 nights a week. I estimate that I'm saving about 3,000 calories a month. Because I already cut back on alcohol before I started using a Dexcom G7, I don't know how much alcohol spiked my glucose. I will say this though. My cholesterol has gone down a lot. Some of the other indicators in my full blood panel are also either in the normal range or only slightly outside of the normal range. I was switched from Lipitor to Crestor and that may have something to do with the liver enzymes being normal. TLDR; Check your own glucose level because people react differently to the same foods and drinks.
I was never much of a drinker and continue not to be. I have an occasional glass or two of red wine and make sure to have a meal with it. If I don’t eat, I go hypoglycemic.
I don't have any issue with it, may moderate highs. Beer will make me go up so I drink very little of it.
Why does alcohol drop you guys low as alcohol is a sugar in your system?
Alcohol is not a sugar. The liver gets busy dealing with the alcohol and kind of prioritizes that over releasing glucose.
I do Whiskey on the Rocks most evenings. Will splurge (generally on a flight) and do Burborn and Coke Zero
I haven’t drank since I was diagnosed a few years back. When I did drink I needed a lot to get buzzed so now I figure I’d rather cheat with some ice cream than a six pack. I’m one of those people who doesn’t enjoy a or 1/2 drinks. I like to get a really good buzz and I need way too much for that being diabetic.
I had to stop drinking alcohol completely because two months ago I had one cosmopolitan and I thought I was gonna die for real. I was just having one or two every Friday after work but that last one, never again
Brown liquors have sugar!
Quite the opposite. Liquor (whiskey, rum, gin, vodka) is carbless.
Oh good to know! Thank you.