Alcohol & Diabetes
TBC
RecipesCucumber & Black Pepper Gin
Fill your glass with ice. Add the cucumber and cracked pepper, then pour the gin. Finish by adding the diet tonic until your glass is fill. Easy - enjoy! |
Freddie's Lifestyle BlogDiabetes isn’t a social death sentence. It is possible to consume alcohol in a way that keeps you safe.
Alcohol certinaly has an effect on your blood sugar levels, as with what feels like everything in this world! But, with a better understanding and being a little more cautious and aware, drinking alcohol as a diabetic should surely become a better experience. The ironic thing is, the precautions to be aware of as a diabetic consuming alcohol isn’t too far off what’s recommended generally to anyone drinking alcohol. I guess the biggest difference is that the effects on a diabetic can be more severe which is why it’s important to realise and come to grips with the fact that following a few guidelines isn’t a “buzz-kill” but rather just a much, much, much smarter idea. Going low What I do to avoid being in this awful situation is to make sure I don’t drink on an empty stomach. Otherwise, the amount of alcohol in my blooodstream will be quickly increased as I drink. Alcohol should never be a substitute for a meal, otherwise you'll really risk the chances of having a low. Not an entertaining party trick! Different drinks There’s so many different alcoholic concussions, all with different effects on our sugar levels. Even when you’re home, you still need to be on top of your blood sugar levels. It’s a really good idea to not go drink for drink with your mates. If they are drinking at a really fast paced rate, you shouldn’t see that as an invitation to throw your guidelines out the window and try to keep up. If they’re good mates they should understand that you have a medical condition that significantly effects how you can consume alcohol. Don’t be afraid to voice this. I can speak from personal experience that at first, or even the first few times, it can be a bit harder to convey this to others. I would suggest having this conversation at the begginning rather than half way into a big night out. That way, when your mates are more sober, they will likely comprehend your situation better. It also doesn’t need to be a deep and meaningful conversation, where you detail the life of your pancreas. If you keep it casual, to the point, and move on the’ll likely see that there’s no need to make a big deal about. Essentially, you’ll be drinking how they likely should be drinking. It doesn’t mean you get to miss out on the fun! It won’t take long though until your mates will surely understand and there’s simply no reason for them to bring it up. In fact, you might even find that they become part of your diabetic journey! For example, a couple of my mates own restaurants and bars. Not only do they not hassle me (in a light-hearted way of course) about my drinking (or sometimes lack of) they often go out of their way to stock up on certain beverages that are better for my diabetes! Post your own ADM Lifestyle & tag us
using @adiabeticsmenu so we can see! |