Re: 21st birthday next weekend... need advice

First off! You're gonna be fine, and you're gonna have a great time! (AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!)

The big danger of drinking and diabetes is going low and having your friends just think you're drunk and passed out. Your boyfriend already knows better, so you'll just check a couple times during the night and then maybe around 4 or 5 in the morning just to make sure you're okay:)

And I think the checking is more so you know, and i figure if you're able to check your blood sugar it also means you're not a total mess! And drinking is fun but being sloppy is, you know, less fun!

I don't really believe that alcohol LOWERS your blood sugar. It's INSULIN that is lowering your blood sugar. So. When you drink alcohol your liver is SO BUSY processing and filtering it... that it doesn't have time to turn your sugars into energy (even if you give yourself an insulin shot). So what'll happen is you'll go high (from a sugary drink or food and from your liver being "busy") and then you'll go low (from your liver and insulin finally kicking in).

So what I do is :

1. I make sure I eat before hand, but not too SOON before hand. (I try for about 3 hours). I don't want to have much Insulin On Board once I start drinking. If you don't eat before hand you'll get drunk REALLY quickly because the food isn't in place to slow down the alcohols progress towards your intestines.. or whatever.
2. Liquor doesn't have carbs. Honestly. Even rum. (SPICED rum may have some sugar, but it'll be around 5 carbs per drink, which I'd just ignore if I were you). Vodka, taquila, rum, their carb content is low to nonexistent...
3. MIXERS have tons of sugar, so watch out. Diet mixers are the way to go:) Jack and Diet, Vodka and Diet ginger-ale... you definitely have options
4. I generally don't give insulin while i'm drinking, that's how you enter "the danger zone" of the classic post alcohol crash. But that means I'm also careful to not eat too much and to stay away from sugary drinks.

That's it, have a great time and don't sweat it. And i'm pretty sure glucagon doesn't work if your liver is "busy" processing alcohol.... So be careful mixing insulin and alcohol:)

(I typically just drink bud lights, sometimes as many as 8, which have about 10 carbs, i go a little high but then will get back down)

Cor

The Candian Diabetes Association advises to eat carbs while you drink to prevent you going low later. You're sugars will go high but it's supposed to prevent a crash later. And I was told to set an alarm to wake me up in the middle of my sleep so I can check my blood sugar to see if I'm going low.   And don't count the alcohol as carbs! You don't take insulin for alcohol. And don't forget that if you're going to be dancing at the bars you need to eat extra carbs.

Hope that info helps.

That's exactly what I do, and avoid really sugary drinks.

Wouldn't pizza be a good food choice, then?  the slow increase in bG will help you from plummeting overnight.  I find that way more effective than all carbs, which are out of your system before the alcohol brings the drop....

Happy Birthday, Melissa!

The general consensus, and my advice as well, is to just drink in moderation and be smart about it. 

I know that alcohol effects everyone differently, but I learned the hard way that hard liquor is not good for me.  I was out not long after my 21st birthday, and drank a bit more than I should have.  I ended up sick in the bathroom and then passed out from hypoglycemia.  Everyone, of course, just assumed that I was drunk (which I was, but not near the point of passing out!), but fortunately one of my friends knew I was diabetic and called an ambulance...  All in all, not a very fun evening.  Now I just stick to wine and limit myself to a couple glasses, and I've been fine. 

Please don't let that scare you.  You are going out with friends who know you are diabetic.  Just don't go overboard (and eat some snacks along with your drinks) and, most importantly, have fun!

I find that eating a combination of carbs and protein (like breaded chicken strips or milk and crackers) right before bed prevents lows due to alcohol consumption.  Also, CHECK OFTEN!  Drinking and diabetes is kind of a trial-and-error experience, so you don't want to limit checking to every few hours.  I try to check once per hour if I'm out.  Hope this helps!!

Hayley

Melissa,

Just friendly advise, stay sober... be the better person! 21 is an exciting age  but if you love yourself

and have never drank before why start? If you choose too consume, drink in moderation only one or two.

Search the internet, call and ask your doctor or nurse. A good diabetic dietician will also direct you right!

I choose not to consume any alochol...

Happy Holidays and be safe!!!

John

Thank you everyone for your advice and experiences! I really appreciate all the help.

I'll definitely keep everything in mind. My boyfriend knows how to check my blood sugar so I'm not concerned about that. I'll check as often as every hour. I don't plan to go overboard and the people I'll be with know that too. I just want to have fun. I'm not the type to do anything wild and crazy lol.

The glucagon not working when drinking is definitely something I didn't know so I'm glad some of you mentioned it!

I'll just experiment and drink in moderation to get a handle on what works for me.

Thank you again!

Some things I would like to add:

1) I can say for certain that diabetics get hangovers.  Gag.

2) When I first started drinking, I thought being buzzed felt a little like having a low.  Just be aware of that too.

Have fun!

I've had diabetes for 12 years and I've never had a hangover.  :) 

Drinking is over rated. If you have never done it before stop at 2 and do it with food in your belly. 

You should probably stop at two even if you have done it before. Alcohol makes people do stupid things they regret.

Hayley Schreiter

I've had diabetes for 12 years and I've never had a hangover.  :) 

You're only 19. Just wait 20 years or so and see what happens.

I'm just sayin' that they are not biologically associated with diabetes.  But you're right, ;)

Ok first off happy birthday!! And second i was a Type 1 diabetic for about 6 months when i turned 21 and i have been on a rugby team all through college and collegiate rugby=drinking...alot lol, so here are some tips i have found.

1. I love beer, especially dark beer (guinness is my favorite) but beer will raise your blood sugar due to the ingredients, but the darker the beer the more it will rise. But stuff like Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Miller Lite, etc. doesnt really affect it too much until you start getting into 6+ beers range.

2. If a liquor is flavored or has color its going to also raise your blood sugar to a point, especially if mixed. A shot is not really going to do anything, but a Jack and Coke.....say no lol. I have found though that Jack and Coke Zero taste the same and really wont do much damage. Just avoid juices mixed with the liquors.

3. Last point, clear liquors like vodka and everclear are your friends. If i do drink liquor its vanilla vodka and coke zero.  It doesnt affect my blood sugar, i get drunk, and it tastes great. But just watch what you mix it with.

Anytime you drink you have to watch your blood sugar, just have a close friend be your diabetes watcher for the night that will check your blood sugar for you and take care of you so you can enjoy your night, just make sure they know what to do at all times. Hope this helps

so for my 21st i drank a lot of drinks with vodka.. i asked my doctor about it though and he said there is no one in particular that is worse.. just that i should be careful when they are mixed so that i make sure to do insulin for both the juice and the alcohol...