If you have type 2 diabetes, you often have to think about things that aren’t a problem for other people: Do I have enough medication for my upcoming weekend getaway? Will there be appetizers at tonight’s party that won’t screw with my blood sugar? Is it safe to sip on a cocktail there too?
The answer to that last question is a little complicated, Serena Cardillo, MD, an endocrinologist and professor of clinical medicine at Penn Medicine, tells SELF. Having type 2 diabetes doesn’t mean you can’t ever have alcohol, but there are things you should consider when it comes to your health and safety if you plan to have a drink, Dr. Cardillo notes. This includes how much you consume, your beverage of choice, any medications you’re on, and the overall picture of your health right now.
Basically, just as there’s no set list of “bad” foods you have to steer clear of with diabetes, you don’t have to forgo imbibing—you just need to be mindful in your approach and know how it fits in with your treatment plan and current health status. Here’s what to know about alcohol if you have type 2 diabetes.
What happens to your body when you drink alcohol
After you sip on a cocktail or glass of wine, your liver breaks down the alcohol. But that organ also plays a key role in managing your blood sugar, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—which can sometimes make things messy if you have type 2 diabetes. “When excess alcohol enters the body, the liver shifts attention away from maintaining glucose levels and prioritizes detoxifying the alcohol,” Dr. Cardillo explains. “This leads to a drop in blood sugar levels.” When that happens, you might start to feel woozy, confused, or dizzy. In other words, you might think you’re getting tipsy when you actually have low blood sugar.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) says this is more likely to happen in two situations: (1) You’re drinking on an empty stomach, or (2) you’re taking a medication that also reduces your blood sugar, like insulin or sulfonylureas.1
It’s important to note that drinking a lot of alcohol affects your body in other ways as well: A person with type 2 diabetes is twice as likely to have hypertension than someone without it,2 and having more than three drinks in a single sitting can increase both your blood pressure and blood sugar.
What to know about drinking if you have type 2 diabetes
If you do plan to drink, aim for no more than one beverage per day if you’re a woman, and no more than two if you’re a man, Christoph Buettner, MD, chief of the division of endocrinology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, tells SELF. (FYI: A single drink means 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor.) These are actually the same drinking recs for all adults, but they are particularly important to follow if you have type 2, for the reasons we mentioned above.