Diabetes and Drinking- What you should know

There’s a lot of confusion that surrounds the topic of diabetes and drinking.  Many people are living with all sorts of misinformation, or just a complete lack of information on the topic.  That’s not good; there are some things you should know about drinking and diabetes whether you have the disease or not.  And there are other facts that people suffering from diabetes must know about drinking if they don’t want to further endanger their health.  Let’s look at some of the things people should know.

First, contrary to what most people think, moderate drinkers are actually at less risk of contracting Type 2 diabetes than people who don’t drink.  Moderate drinkers are 30 percent to 40 percent less likely to come down with diabetes.  If you’re a moderate drinker, this is good news indeed.  However, it must be stressed that this refers only to moderate drinking – heavy drinking and binge drinking don’t count, and should be avoided by everyone. Moderate drinking means no more than 2 or 3 drinks a day, tops.

Now, when it comes to people with diabetes and drinking, it’s a bit more complicated.  First off, you must always check with your doctor about using any amount of alcohol if you’re diabetic.  Never make this decision on your own, or after reading something in a magazine or online.  That being said, being diabetic doesn’t mean you can never enjoy a drink again.  With your doctor’s approval, you can enjoy a couple drinks per day just like non-diabetics.  However, you must be sure that your blood sugar levels are under very good control.  Also, when you drink, you must always do so at a meal.  A person with diabetes should never drink on an empty stomach.  You should always drink slowly, and avoid sweet, sugary drinks.  So, diabetes and drinking can go together.  But again, always check with your physician to see what they recommend for you, personally.