Aa
What are realistic drinking parameters for a newly diagnosed healthy college stu
I am a 19 year old college student who has just been diagnosed with diabetes. I am in otherwise great health and actually comptete in division one college tennis for the college of charleston. Before now I had been drinking at college as does almost every other college student. But, I am a good student (4.0) and consequently I dont drink near everynight, and with all my school work, it pretty much just boils down to the weekends. But when I did drink on the weekends, it was nice to be out with my friends and I did drink fairly heavily. I was hoping maybe I could get some realistic comments on the level to which I would be able to drink and hang out with my friends in the future. Any comments would be appreciated, especially those who had been through this.
Hi JC
I'm new to this forum, so I'll try to stay within the rules.
Alcohol is probably one of the trickiest aspects of type 1. Accurate carbohydrate counting is tough enough by itself, but alcohol can involve both that, and the suppression of the normal (basal) glucose release from the liver.
My favourite alcholic beverage is beer, which, of course, contains carbohydrates as well as alcohol. What I found I needed was 1.2 units of Humalog for each pint of beer (Molson Export, Canadian market) for the first two beers. A 2.4 unit injection of Humalog takes 3 hours to wind down. This means I can have two beers. I take the shot 1/2 hour before starting to drink, then drink at the rate of one pint per hour. After 2 1/2 hours I have finished two beers, and the remaining insulin matches the digestion rate (close enough anyway) of the beer in my stomach. At this point, I also decide if I will have another or more beer. BUT, I will not need the same insulin/beer ratio now. I need less insulin the more I drink. Exactely when and how much the alcohol suppresses the liver varies for different people. At some point in the night (or a daytime football party), I will be able to drink a beer every 1 1/2 to 2 hours, without further insulin.
Now, the trickiest part. The blood glucose levels will tend to decline for several hours following drinking. Usually it is just enough that I can skip my late night unit of NPH. The effect of the alcohol will suitably suppress the dawn effect. However, it may suppress it too much for some, if they have had too much to drink. Also, and this is important, About 12 hours after finishing drinking, the liver will drastically shut down it's glucose release, for about an hour or so. This is when hypoglycemia can be serious, and often occurs in co-incidence with a hangover. I have been so hungover and hypoglyceamic, that I was staring from my bed at my glucose tablets, knowing full well I needed them, but could not get out of bed to reach them. Since I cannot sleep when I'm hypo (thank goodness), I had to suffer for an hour until my bgs came back up on their own.
If you can activate this link, it has a the results of a study on the effects of alcohol:
<http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/24/11/1888?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=alcohol&searchid=1070669516321_5967&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&journalcode=diacare>
If I am caught in a situation where I haven't planned on a drink, but I suddenly want one, I use scotch, or another available spirit as they have no carbohydrates.
Learning to handle alchol all over again was quite the experiment!
Be careful, but enjoy!
Garrick
I'm new to this forum, so I'll try to stay within the rules.
Alcohol is probably one of the trickiest aspects of type 1. Accurate carbohydrate counting is tough enough by itself, but alcohol can involve both that, and the suppression of the normal (basal) glucose release from the liver.
My favourite alcholic beverage is beer, which, of course, contains carbohydrates as well as alcohol. What I found I needed was 1.2 units of Humalog for each pint of beer (Molson Export, Canadian market) for the first two beers. A 2.4 unit injection of Humalog takes 3 hours to wind down. This means I can have two beers. I take the shot 1/2 hour before starting to drink, then drink at the rate of one pint per hour. After 2 1/2 hours I have finished two beers, and the remaining insulin matches the digestion rate (close enough anyway) of the beer in my stomach. At this point, I also decide if I will have another or more beer. BUT, I will not need the same insulin/beer ratio now. I need less insulin the more I drink. Exactely when and how much the alcohol suppresses the liver varies for different people. At some point in the night (or a daytime football party), I will be able to drink a beer every 1 1/2 to 2 hours, without further insulin.
Now, the trickiest part. The blood glucose levels will tend to decline for several hours following drinking. Usually it is just enough that I can skip my late night unit of NPH. The effect of the alcohol will suitably suppress the dawn effect. However, it may suppress it too much for some, if they have had too much to drink. Also, and this is important, About 12 hours after finishing drinking, the liver will drastically shut down it's glucose release, for about an hour or so. This is when hypoglycemia can be serious, and often occurs in co-incidence with a hangover. I have been so hungover and hypoglyceamic, that I was staring from my bed at my glucose tablets, knowing full well I needed them, but could not get out of bed to reach them. Since I cannot sleep when I'm hypo (thank goodness), I had to suffer for an hour until my bgs came back up on their own.
If you can activate this link, it has a the results of a study on the effects of alcohol:
<http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/24/11/1888?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=alcohol&searchid=1070669516321_5967&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&journalcode=diacare>
If I am caught in a situation where I haven't planned on a drink, but I suddenly want one, I use scotch, or another available spirit as they have no carbohydrates.
Learning to handle alchol all over again was quite the experiment!
Be careful, but enjoy!
Garrick
Wow that certainly made me wonder about my drinking habits. I usually go out for the night with a group of friends and take my normal insulin with dinner and normal insulin before bed and take enough Humalog to cover about 40 grams of carbs. I can drink about 5 cans of Fosters. After the third can I start slowing down and putting back some food. Breads and stuff like that are good because they will soak up some alcohol in you and give you a long lasting carb through the night as you sleep. Then get a glass or two of orange juice to avoid any immediate lows after you go to sleep. The orange juice and bread also helps to avoid hangovers the next morning.
I'm no doctor but this is some first hand experience. Just take it easy at first, try to find the right insulin to compensate per drink and the food to eat after. There's a fine line and its probably safer to run yourself a little bit higher than the suggested BG range while you are experimenting. Just keep your wits about you and remember to test.
I'm no doctor but this is some first hand experience. Just take it easy at first, try to find the right insulin to compensate per drink and the food to eat after. There's a fine line and its probably safer to run yourself a little bit higher than the suggested BG range while you are experimenting. Just keep your wits about you and remember to test.
Hello JC,
So sorry it's taken me this long to answer your question. I must have missed it when I was checking this site.
Now, on to my response.
Alcohol, by itself, can tend to lower one's glucose and can result in very severe hypoglycemia is one is drinking heavily. The reason for the risk of severe hypoglycemia is that, normally, over livers will help out when we're low -- The liver will cause glycogen stores to be converted to glucose in an attempt to raise our blood sugar. When we have alcohol in our systems, however, our liver will first deal with that "toxin" ... since the liver "sees" alochol as a poison to get processed out. As long as our liver is processing alcohol, it will NOT dump the glucose we might need -- no matter how low we go. That's the big added risk to drinking.
Having said all that, and remembering well my college days, I'd encourage you to think about these approaches. Clearly, you're a very bright person (4.0 plus athletics is tough to achieve!), so I hope you'll consider these ideas carefully. Never drink alone and never drink without food. There are plenty of low-carbo beers and spirits and nursing one can last a long time. If you drink a mixed drink, be very aware of the carbo content in the mixer (juices & reg. sodas have loads of carbos) since you can also cause very HIGH blood sugars. Consider a drink "budget" both within a day/night and within a given week to help avoid binging which has killed college & high school students around the nation. Having a diet cola in a class with a "mix straw" can give folks the impression that you're having a mixed drink (if it matters to you what they might think) while you protect your health.
Finally, now that I'm on the other side of college (I'm a college prof) I also encourage you to be very cautious about yoru surroundings when/if you choose to drink. There are lotsa horrifying cases of young (mostly women) students being harmed by having something "slipped" into their drinks. This type of thing rarely happens when folks just are out having a beer & pizza with pals. Rather, it's large "parties" that draws out such evil. Of course, don't drink 'n' drive and don't ride with someone who's been drinking. It's really NOT cool ;-)
Anyway, I've had diabetes for 35 years including much of my teen & college years. It is easier now to "budget" responsible drinking since I've learned the impact it has on my blood sugar and my overall well-being.
I hope this is helpful for you. What do you think of these ideas?
So sorry it's taken me this long to answer your question. I must have missed it when I was checking this site.
Now, on to my response.
Alcohol, by itself, can tend to lower one's glucose and can result in very severe hypoglycemia is one is drinking heavily. The reason for the risk of severe hypoglycemia is that, normally, over livers will help out when we're low -- The liver will cause glycogen stores to be converted to glucose in an attempt to raise our blood sugar. When we have alcohol in our systems, however, our liver will first deal with that "toxin" ... since the liver "sees" alochol as a poison to get processed out. As long as our liver is processing alcohol, it will NOT dump the glucose we might need -- no matter how low we go. That's the big added risk to drinking.
Having said all that, and remembering well my college days, I'd encourage you to think about these approaches. Clearly, you're a very bright person (4.0 plus athletics is tough to achieve!), so I hope you'll consider these ideas carefully. Never drink alone and never drink without food. There are plenty of low-carbo beers and spirits and nursing one can last a long time. If you drink a mixed drink, be very aware of the carbo content in the mixer (juices & reg. sodas have loads of carbos) since you can also cause very HIGH blood sugars. Consider a drink "budget" both within a day/night and within a given week to help avoid binging which has killed college & high school students around the nation. Having a diet cola in a class with a "mix straw" can give folks the impression that you're having a mixed drink (if it matters to you what they might think) while you protect your health.
Finally, now that I'm on the other side of college (I'm a college prof) I also encourage you to be very cautious about yoru surroundings when/if you choose to drink. There are lotsa horrifying cases of young (mostly women) students being harmed by having something "slipped" into their drinks. This type of thing rarely happens when folks just are out having a beer & pizza with pals. Rather, it's large "parties" that draws out such evil. Of course, don't drink 'n' drive and don't ride with someone who's been drinking. It's really NOT cool ;-)
Anyway, I've had diabetes for 35 years including much of my teen & college years. It is easier now to "budget" responsible drinking since I've learned the impact it has on my blood sugar and my overall well-being.
I hope this is helpful for you. What do you think of these ideas?
The answer is yes you can drink, in limited moderation, providing that you take the proper precautions. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) says alcohol can be incorporated into a diet plan, provided that your Blood Glucose is in control.
From what I've read .... if you drink your liver stops making glucose so that it concentrate its activity on removing the alcohol from your blood. However - here's the catch: since glucose is temporarily suspended, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) becomes a risk for you especially if you drink without eating first or after taking insulin.
I do believe it takes 2 hours for just one ounce of alcohol to get strained out of your system, so the low sugar risk continues long after you've had your drink. And you may sugar crash if you drink quite a few, you run the risk of sugar crashing when you go to sleep. I wouldn't be doing any driving.
I was told the rule of thumb is 2 Drinks maximum. One drink is defined as: 12 ounces of regular beer (150 calories), 5 ounces of wine (100 calories), 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled liquor (100 calories). 1 drink is 2 fat exchanges & a regular beer is an additional 1 starch exchange.
The ADA has a couple guidelines - although they'd prefer you not to drink at all.
1. Always eat something when you drink. You need glucose from food since your liver is busy straining alcohol out of your blood.
2. Carefully check the alcohol level of what you're drinking, that it's measured correctly, and take into account of carbs from fruit.
3. Don't exercise before drinking. No dancing.
4. Be prepared for hypoglycemia because there is no doubt you will go low. Make sure you have a high carb snack ready if your blood glucose falls under 70.
5. Monitor, monitor, monitor using your blood glucose monitor and check your levels frequently.
I don't drink anymore because I don't like finger sticking to take BG readings any more than I have to. And I didn't like going low, having to take a high carb snack, then getting into a yo-yo effect with highs and lows until my system settled down. And the thought of sugar crashing while I sleep just sends chills down my spine. My friends (who drink quite a bit themselves) are all supportive and understand my condition. I'm never excluded from the nights out and no one even blinks when they order Jack and Cokes and I just have a Diet Coke.
From what I've read .... if you drink your liver stops making glucose so that it concentrate its activity on removing the alcohol from your blood. However - here's the catch: since glucose is temporarily suspended, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) becomes a risk for you especially if you drink without eating first or after taking insulin.
I do believe it takes 2 hours for just one ounce of alcohol to get strained out of your system, so the low sugar risk continues long after you've had your drink. And you may sugar crash if you drink quite a few, you run the risk of sugar crashing when you go to sleep. I wouldn't be doing any driving.
I was told the rule of thumb is 2 Drinks maximum. One drink is defined as: 12 ounces of regular beer (150 calories), 5 ounces of wine (100 calories), 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled liquor (100 calories). 1 drink is 2 fat exchanges & a regular beer is an additional 1 starch exchange.
The ADA has a couple guidelines - although they'd prefer you not to drink at all.
1. Always eat something when you drink. You need glucose from food since your liver is busy straining alcohol out of your blood.
2. Carefully check the alcohol level of what you're drinking, that it's measured correctly, and take into account of carbs from fruit.
3. Don't exercise before drinking. No dancing.
4. Be prepared for hypoglycemia because there is no doubt you will go low. Make sure you have a high carb snack ready if your blood glucose falls under 70.
5. Monitor, monitor, monitor using your blood glucose monitor and check your levels frequently.
I don't drink anymore because I don't like finger sticking to take BG readings any more than I have to. And I didn't like going low, having to take a high carb snack, then getting into a yo-yo effect with highs and lows until my system settled down. And the thought of sugar crashing while I sleep just sends chills down my spine. My friends (who drink quite a bit themselves) are all supportive and understand my condition. I'm never excluded from the nights out and no one even blinks when they order Jack and Cokes and I just have a Diet Coke.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Diabetes - Type 1 Community
Here are three summertime recipes that will satisfy your hunger without wreaking havoc on your blood sugar.
If you have prediabetes, type 2 diabetes isn’t inevitable. Find out how you can stop diabetes before it starts.
Diabetes-friendly recipes and tips for your game day party.
Are there grounds to recommend coffee consumption? Recent studies perk interest.
Simple ways to keep your blood sugar in check.
8 blood sugar-safe eats.
