Katie the RD, CDE, T1D enjoying a glass of chardonnay at a wine bar with her parents last holiday season
What makes alcohol and T1D so challenging – part 1
Okay, before I proceed, I need to be clear: This post is NOT meant to dissuade you from all alcohol. If you enjoy a drink or two with friends, by all means. My intent here is to share a few facts, but also a few tips to help make your social engagement a bit safer overall. So, here goes š
A standard drink is the equivalent of:Ā12 ounces of beer
1.5 ounces of spirits (think, hard liquor)
5 ounces of wine
There’s a few reasons for this recommendation.
If you drink more than two alcoholic servings with dinner, or even 2-3 hours after your meal, you are at a greater risk for low blood sugars overnight, as well as the following morning, and even up to 24 hours after finishing your drink.
Yes, friends, it’s a prolonged risk!
What makes alcohol and T1D so challenging – part 2
Further to the above, alcohol also impairs the effectiveness of Glucagon.
Glucagon is a natural hormone that triggers the liver to release stored sugars into the blood stream when blood sugars become too low.
For those of us with T1D, injected glucagon and nasal glucagon (Baqsimi) has the same effect, enabling blood sugars to rise super fast in time of need.
But when alcohol is present, that’s not the case.
You see, the liver is responsible for many things, including ridding the body of toxins. Alcohol is a toxin. And when present, the liver is so hyper focused on detoxifying the body, it has no time for glucagon management.
Even when alcohol raises our blood sugars acutely, we are still at risk for hypoglycemia later on once the liver starts processing the alcohol in our system.
And that’s a challenge, because sometimes we really do need that added support.
Alcohol and T1D: what can we do?
Yep, we’ve got a few challenges, no doubt about it. But with the following tips, those challenges can be reduced:
- Don’t drink on an empty stomach
- Try to limit alcohol to 2 standard servings.
- Have a glass of water between each alcoholic beverage
- Carry low blood sugar supplies with you when drinking alcohol, no matter how many drinks you intend to have
- Monitor blood sugars closely when drinking – as well as during the overnight hours (set those CGM alarms, friends), and the following day
- Have a small snack before bed that has both carbs and protein
- Don’t drink alone. Tell a friend, have a wing person, someone who knows what to do if Dear Diabetes rears its ugly head
Enjoy your engagements. Enjoy your holidays. Be safe.