5 tips for drinking alcohol with diabetes

Alcohol has different effects on people with diabetes than it does on others. It can cause low blood sugar for one thing. Here are a few tips to help you enjoy a drink while keeping your diabetes under control.

Take a drink only if your blood sugar falls within your target range. If you check your blood sugar regularly, experts say it's fine for both men and women to order up to two drinks at dinner. But if your levels are more erratic, take a pass. Alcohol could cause you to experience hypoglycemia. That will make it more difficult for you to get your blood sugar into your target range.

Having a drink before dinner is not a good idea, particularly for those who take insulin or other diabetes medications. Without food in your stomach, your blood sugar levels are likely already low. Drink your alcohol with food — or better yet, at the end of the meal — to reduce your chances of developing hypoglycemia.

Fancy cocktails with umbrellas contain a lot more sugar and calories than other drinks do. A frozen piña colada, for example, packs 462 calories, five grams of fat and 60 grams of carbs. A jigger of whiskey mixed in with club seltzer or diet soda contains about 100 calories and no carbohydrates. Try to keep it simple.

It's easy to forget that beverages contain calories, just as solid foods do. If your blood sugar levels are within a healthy range, it's fine to indulge in a glass of wine with dinner. But you'll need to modify your food intake.

A 150-millilitre (2/3 cup) glass of wine contains about 127 calories, for example. If you're counting calories, you'll need to plan ahead and decide whether a drink or a sweet treat is more appealing. If you are on insulin, you can't substitute alcohol for the carb-filled dessert. Your insulin dose is based on the amount of carbs you eat. Alcohol has calories but you don't need insulin to cover it.

Sometimes slurred speech or difficulty speaking occurs with hypoglycemia; this could be confused with inebriation. Be sure to treat your hypoglycemia if you start having any trouble speaking.