The Holidays and Alcohol for People with Diabetes

Okay call me Scrooge, but it has been a long time since I have had alcohol of any kind and I admit that even then, I never understood having alcohol during the holidays. I became the designated driver during the holidays and felt good about this as I got to see and hear some things not meant for me to see or for my ears normally.

Then when I developed diabetes, I was happy I was not drinking. I always felt that family came first and not the parties. Alcohol can torpedo even the best diet plan. There are several effects of alcohol, the first being the lowering of a person's inhibitions. This in turn makes keeping to a meal plan harder to keep and that large piece of dessert finds its way onto your plate with little resistance.

Alcohol can disrupt sleep and those of us with diabetes know we need our sleep. Yes, and the next day, we are often have a craving for more food – I remember this from my single days while overseas. And I know from what I have read that having a meal heavy in carbohydrates and then drinking a few glasses of wine, people can have blood glucose problems when they have a low from the alcohol.

Everyone and especially people with diabetes, don't have the ability to compensate for alcohol. Cocktails and mixed drinks often have 300 to 400 calories and many frozen drinks get as high as 700 calories. Most people do not add the calories of alcoholic drinks to the calories of the meal and there goes the food plan out the window.

Where the person got the information that answers the questions, I really have to doubt the correctness of some of the material. The author says a calorie is a calorie and those of us with diabetes know that one calorie can differ from another calorie. Then the author says, "Theoretically, everyone could lose weight if they lowered their calories to a certain level.”

The author says alcohol isn't really a food, but a toxin. This means that the body sends the alcohol to the liver to detoxify it, break alcohol down, and convert some of it to sugar and other things that the body can eliminate. Alcohol does not provide what the body needs – essential amino acids and fats.

Alcohol can increase our hunger. Some people do have this problem and with diabetes, this is when they lose good diabetes management. Some “experts” recommend moderation, but then allow more than some people should consume. The moderation has to vary for each person rather then the “one-size-fits-all” advice that is often given. Some men would be better served not having any alcohol, as would many women.

The holidays seem to bring out the worse in people hosting parties. Unless it is strictly a bring your own alcohol affair, most hosts want to push alcohol on their guests even when they have been told “no, thank you.” Then they insist and make platitudes about everyone else having a drink. Even a second “no, thanks” brings even more pressure. This is when I take my leave and when asked later why I left, I just say, because the person hosting the party did not understand the meaning of the word “No.”

Okay call me Scrooge, but it has been a long time since I have had alcohol of any kind and I admit that even then, I never understood having alcohol during the holidays. I became the designated driver during the holidays and felt good about this as I got to see and hear some things not meant for me to see or for my ears normally.

Then when I developed diabetes, I was happy I was not drinking. I always felt that family came first and not the parties. Alcohol can torpedo even the best diet plan. There are several effects of alcohol, the first being the lowering of a person's inhibitions. This in turn makes keeping to a meal plan harder to keep and that large piece of dessert finds its way onto your plate with little resistance.

Alcohol can disrupt sleep and those of us with diabetes know we need our sleep. Yes, and the next day, we are often have a craving for more food – I remember this from my single days while overseas. And I know from what I have read that having a meal heavy in carbohydrates and then drinking a few glasses of wine, people can have blood glucose problems when they have a low from the alcohol.

Everyone and especially people with diabetes, don't have the ability to compensate for alcohol. Cocktails and mixed drinks often have 300 to 400 calories and many frozen drinks get as high as 700 calories. Most people do not add the calories of alcoholic drinks to the calories of the meal and there goes the food plan out the window.

Where the person got the information that answers the questions, I really have to doubt the correctness of some of the material. The author says a calorie is a calorie and those of us with diabetes know that one calorie can differ from another calorie. Then the author says, "Theoretically, everyone could lose weight if they lowered their calories to a certain level.”

The author says alcohol isn't really a food, but a toxin. This means that the body sends the alcohol to the liver to detoxify it, break alcohol down, and convert some of it to sugar and other things that the body can eliminate. Alcohol does not provide what the body needs – essential amino acids and fats.

Alcohol can increase our hunger. Some people do have this problem and with diabetes, this is when they lose good diabetes management. Some “experts” recommend moderation, but then allow more than some people should consume. The moderation has to vary for each person rather then the “one-size-fits-all” advice that is often given. Some men would be better served not having any alcohol, as would many women.

The holidays seem to bring out the worse in people hosting parties. Unless it is strictly a bring your own alcohol affair, most hosts want to push alcohol on their guests even when they have been told “no, thank you.” Then they insist and make platitudes about everyone else having a drink. Even a second “no, thanks” brings even more pressure. This is when I take my leave and when asked later why I left, I just say, because the person hosting the party did not understand the meaning of the word “No.”