Whether you’re at home or at a restaurant, here are the most diabetes-friendly beverage options. Calculate the cost of drinking below or visit our Cost of Drinking Calculator for more information. However, avoiding alcohol in large quantities is the best recourse.
When a person consumes alcohol, the liver begins to break it down. When it is busy doing this, it does not release stored carbohydrates to maintain blood sugar, meaning that blood sugar levels can drop to dangerous levels. The main function of your liver is to store glycogen, which is the stored form of can diabetics get drunk glucose, so that you will have a source of glucose when you haven’t eaten. When you drink alcohol, your liver has to work to remove it from your blood instead of working to regulate blood sugar, or blood glucose. For this reason, you should never drink alcohol when your blood glucose is already low.
Living with type 1 diabetes
Look carefully for medical alert jewelry, especially around the wrist and neck. More research is needed to understand the potential relationship between diabetes risk and alcohol consumption. Some distilled spirits are typically mixed with sugar-containing sodas or juices, which can raise blood sugar. Also, limit your portion size to 4 ounces (oz), or 1/2 cup, which will reduce your sugar intake to about 3.75 teaspoons (15 grams). On average, 1 can has a whopping 40 grams of sugar and 150 calories, according to the ADA. If you have diabetes, doctors may recommend drinks that have no calories or a low number of calories, such as milk alternatives and sugar-free lemonade.
Certain signs and symptoms indicate that diabetes isn’t well-managed. In these cases, it’s best to avoid alcohol and work with your doctor to get your diabetes under control. Dessert wines, such as vermouth, port, and sherry, are also high in carbs.
Diabetics and Non-Diabetics
Typically beers, lagers, wines, sherries and liqueurs will have this effect. However, alcohol inhibits the liver from turning proteins into glucose which means you’re at a greater risk of hypoglycemia once your blood sugars start to come down. If you have a number of these drinks, you can expect to see a rise in blood sugar followed by a steady drop a number of hours later, often whilst asleep. People who take insulin, in particular, therefore need to be wary of hypoglycemia. When deciding whether to drink with diabetes, you’ll need to determine whether you’ll be able to monitor your alcohol consumption and drink in moderation.
