# Alcohol



## kevin sweet (Mar 20, 2018)

When diagnosed being diabetic 6 months ago the first thing I did was to cut alcohol out almost completely , but to my surprise I find my levels are at my lowest when I do have around 5/6 pints on a night, how can this be correct ?


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## Stitch147 (Mar 20, 2018)

Alcohol can lower the bg levels.


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## Robin (Mar 20, 2018)

For every unit of alcohol, the liver stops trickling out background glucose for an hour while it deals with the alcohol. That's what my Diabetes nurse told me, anyway.


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## Vince_UK (Mar 20, 2018)

5/6 pints? I would be flat on my back these days by number 3 lol


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## Mark Parrott (Mar 20, 2018)

Our livers are like most men.  They can't multi-task.  When it sees alcohol entering the body, it thinks to itself 'sod making glucose, I need to get this alcohol out of the body!'.  So. whilst processing alcohol, it is not converting carbs to glucose.  Hence lower BS.  Beer is very carby & will initially raise levels but once the alcohol kicks in, levels will start to lower.  Dry wine & spirits are low carb so they will just lower BS.


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## kevin sweet (Mar 20, 2018)

Magic news , I never did look up Alcohol and diabetes , I just assumed it would be bad.


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## Mark Parrott (Mar 20, 2018)

If you are on meds that can cause hypos or on insulin, you have to be careful you don't go too low.


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## Vince_UK (Mar 20, 2018)

Mark Parrott said:


> Our livers are like most men.  They can't multi-task.  .


Hmmmmm traitor to your sex young man


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## LUPIN (Mar 20, 2018)

Is this really true?.....DN said drinking alcohol was the worst this to do?!

We enjoy a few glasses of red wine on a weekend - so can we continue with this as well as doing the low carb thing?

thank you


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## kevin sweet (Mar 20, 2018)

Mark Parrott said:


> If you are on meds that can cause hypos or on insulin, you have to be careful you don't go too low.


I don't take any meds.


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## Lanny (Mar 20, 2018)

Alcohol can stay in my system for up to 12 hours continuing to lower sugars. I found that out the hard way. I used to only drink a lttle alcohol on special occassions. One christmas when staying with my brother I had a little Baileys, little liquers glass, at his urging. I spent the whole night & until lunch time the next day VERY hungry & eating biscuits, snacks etc. My brother woke before lunch to find vitually all of his snacks eaten by me. That was about 10 years ago. I don’t drink alcohol at all now.


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## Browser (Mar 20, 2018)

A couple of glasses of red are my supplementary medicine.


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## Beck S (Mar 20, 2018)

I have a cupboard shelf full of lovely, lovely cider but I'm too scared to touch any of it


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## Browser (Mar 20, 2018)

Beck S said:


> I have a cupboard shelf full of lovely, lovely cider but I'm too scared to touch any of it



I’m no expert but I believe cider can be quite high in sugar and calories ....... shame, because I used to love cider.


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## kevin sweet (Mar 20, 2018)

Beck S said:


> I have a cupboard shelf full of lovely, lovely cider but I'm too scared to touch any of it


I also have 50, 2 litre bottles but have been afraid to touch them but I'm going to start drinking them again and see how my sugars go.


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## Beck S (Mar 20, 2018)

They're certainly high in sugar.  I think I'm saving them for a special occasion now.


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## Mark Parrott (Mar 20, 2018)

I'm ok with a very dry cider as long as it's strong, but I don't drink it often.


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## Mark Parrott (Mar 20, 2018)

LUPIN said:


> Is this really true?.....DN said drinking alcohol was the worst this to do?!
> 
> We enjoy a few glasses of red wine on a weekend - so can we continue with this as well as doing the low carb thing?
> 
> thank you


It's old fashioned thinking.  When my brother was diagnosed with type 2 15 years ago, he was told to stop drinking.  I was told it was fine in moderation, but cut back on the beer.  I have a couple of glasses of wine or a few G&T's at the weekend.
Over a year ago, we were staying with the mother-in-law up in Yorkshire & went to the local pub for a drink or two, which turned out being the whole night & a few more drinks.  I was totally bladdered!  The next day, I could eat anything I wanted & my BG never went above 5.2.  I wouldn't recommend this as a cure, though.


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## Brando77 (Mar 20, 2018)

I still have a double Bourbon when I get in from work now and again and I drink ale in my local micropub at weekend lunchtimes, not gonna go crazy in the evening as I don't trust what the meds will do to me. I miss 4-5 pints in the evening but hey, more important things.


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## Mark Parrott (Mar 20, 2018)

I am currently drinking Jim Beam Red Stag dark cherry.  It is very nice.  Thank God for auto correct.


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## Vince_UK (Mar 20, 2018)

This I will get legless on a nice bottle or tow of Barolo and see what happens problem is with my aim when I have had a few I would probably miss my finger for testing and prick next doors dog.
A certain type of specialised smoking concoction always used to make me hungry and give me the munchies on the very odd occasions I tried it in the 1980"s also.


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## Alister (Mar 24, 2018)

I will be heading to a local beer festival in june (1st since diagnosis) so it is going to be an interesting time. is suspect I will be testing quite a lot to see how things go. sound like I should cut down on the insulin the following day (if I am still on it) afterwards, which is in keeping with advice the Dietitian gave me


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## Mark Parrott (Mar 24, 2018)

Alister said:


> I will be heading to a local beer festival in june (1st since diagnosis) so it is going to be an interesting time. is suspect I will be testing quite a lot to see how things go. sound like I should cut down on the insulin the following day (if I am still on it) afterwards, which is in keeping with advice the Dietitian gave me


I'm ok with beer as long as I stick to the strong stuff.  6% or higher.


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## Alister (Mar 24, 2018)

You have made my day, I though I would have to modify my drinking & stick to the weaker beers.
Also means I will have to keep up my homebrew standards (rarely less than 7.0%)


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## Alister (Jun 12, 2018)

Well that went well, I tested regularly throughout the day (every hour) & never went above a 5.4 even had a nice dry cider!  I did consider it wise not to have my evening dose of insulin (& woke with a 5.2  )
so looks like sensible behaviour at a beer festival should not cause any problems.
cheers everyone


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## Mark Parrott (Jun 13, 2018)

Alister said:


> Well that went well, I tested regularly throughout the day (every hour) & never went above a 5.4 even had a nice dry cider!  I did consider it wise not to have my evening dose of insulin (& woke with a 5.2  )
> so looks like sensible behaviour at a beer festival should not cause any problems.
> cheers everyone


Sensible behaviour at a beer festival?  That's a good one.


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## Alister (Jun 13, 2018)

Well Yes, I find the type of person who goes to a Camra Beer festival is invariably well behaved
Go to most outside events & they insist on plastic drink-ware, go to a beer festival & everyone has the glass festival-glass with no problems whatsoever.
Alcohol being consumed & never* any trouble.
People go to a beer festival to sample the different ales & apreciate the falvours not get tanked up of tasteless gassy lager.

Next stop Peterborough beer fest at the end of august, if anyone else goes let me know 

*at least I have seen none & speaking to the security team @ Peterborough they have a very easy time of things


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## Mark Parrott (Jun 13, 2018)

Alister said:


> Well Yes, I find the type of person who goes to a Camra Beer festival is invariably well behaved
> Go to most outside events & they insist on plastic drink-ware, go to a beer festival & everyone has the glass festival-glass with no problems whatsoever.
> Alcohol being consumed & never* any trouble.
> People go to a beer festival to sample the different ales & apreciate the falvours not get tanked up of tasteless gassy lager.
> ...


You are right, actually.  People are generally well behaved at Camra beer fests.  Have you been to the Peterborough one before?  I used to go regularly but haven't been for the past few years.  It's an excellent beer fest with lots of food stalls too & a great entertainment tent.


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## Alister (Jun 13, 2018)

Peterborough is one of my regular visits since 2007 will be there on 24th this year come hell or high water
my other reglulars were Stevenage (home), Hitchin & St Albans. based on fridays experience @ Hitchin I see no reason to stop


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## Mark Parrott (Jun 13, 2018)

Alister said:


> Peterborough is one of my regular visits since 2007 will be there on 24th this year come hell or high water
> my other reglulars were Stevenage (home), Hitchin & St Albans. based on fridays experience @ Hitchin I see no reason to stop


There used to be a great little one in Letchworth, don't know if it's still going.  I've been to both Hitchin & St. Albans ones.


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## HOBIE (Jun 13, 2018)

Vince_UK said:


> This I will get legless on a nice bottle or tow of Barolo and see what happens problem is with my aim when I have had a few I would probably miss my finger for testing and prick next doors dog.
> A certain type of specialised smoking concoction always used to make me hungry and give me the munchies on the very odd occasions I tried it in the 1980"s also.


If I here a dog yelping in NE. I will think you have been "on the Beer" Vince


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## Vince_UK (Jun 13, 2018)

HOBIE said:


> If I here a dog yelping in NE. I will think you have been "on the Beer" Vince


Broon Dog by any chance?


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