Is it Safe to Drink Alcohol When You Have Type 2 Diabetes?

If you have Type 2 diabetes, you know that you must make significant changes to your lifestyle to bring your condition under control. High blood sugar levels can cause widespread damage throughout your body. 

After your Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, you may be wondering if alcohol is one of the sacrifices you’ll need to make. The answer depends on your consumption levels and what you expect from your new diabetic-friendly life. 

The team at Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology, LLC, in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, led by Dr. John Terzian, is here to help you navigate your new health best practices. If you’re reading this blog, the title question may be on your mind: Is it safe to drink alcohol when you have Type 2 diabetes? 

A complex answer

According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetics drink about half as much as people without the chronic metabolic disorder. This is a good trend overall for the health of those with diabetes -- provided their consumption falls within the medical definition of “moderate.” 

The definition of a “healthy” amount of alcohol is currently under revision, with some arguing that the only safe level of consumption is none. Countering that, some indicators show cardiovascular benefits for moderate drinkers. 

Could moderate drinking provide benefits for diabetics? There might be some good news, but it comes with a heavy side order of caution. 

What is moderate drinking? 

Measuring your consumption against others isn’t a good way to define moderate drinking. Anyone might be a moderate drinker when comparing themselves with a hard-partying friend. 

First, let’s define what a drink is. A single drink is: 

• 1.5 ounces of an 80-proof spirit
• 5 ounces of wine
• 12 ounces of beer

Moderate drinking for women is just one drink a day, while for men it’s up to two drinks per day.

Drinking and diabetes

Adhering to defined moderate drinking guidelines may improve your body’s blood sugar management and sensitivity to the effects of insulin. However, the effect is not so reliable that you should start drinking if you don’t currently. 

Too much alcohol, such as three or more drinks per day, leads to elevated levels of glucose in your bloodstream, particularly if you prefer carbohydrate-heavy beverages or sugary-sweet mixers. 

That’s not the only risk, however. Understanding how your liver works and how it interacts with some medications reveals potential conflicts, even if you’re falling into moderate drinking guidelines. 

Two of the functions of your liver are glucose stabilization and alcohol metabolization. However, the liver prioritizes its duties, so when you’re drinking between meals on an empty stomach, blood sugar can fall dangerously low (hypoglycemia) when the liver processes alcohol instead of maintaining blood sugar levels, which your medications are already suppressing. 

A personal decision

Diabetes isn’t a predictable condition, with universal cause and effect tendencies for all patients. You may be able to incorporate moderate alcohol consumption into your life. 

Contact Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology, LLC, and enlist us as your primary care partners in diabetes management. Call or click to book a consultation today. 

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