Diabetes and alcoholism are two common life-long disorders that you can prevent from acquiring. With proper diet and exercise, you can maintain a healthy life free from this burden. However, there is the question of whether alcohol can cause diabetes, and we’re going to discuss it.
What Is Diabetes?
It is a life-long condition that can either be genetically inherited or acquired through an unhealthy lifestyle. Generally, diabetes is when your body is unable to absorb the glucose produced during digestion. Because your cells cannot effectively absorb glucose, your blood sugar level rises to an abnormal state, and that’s diabetes.
What are the two types of diabetes?
We have type I and II diabetes. Type I is genetically inherited, so you cannot prevent this from happening. While Type II is when you are overweight, meaning there is too much sugar in your body.
What are the Symptoms of Diabetes?
The signs for type 1 and 2 diabetes are almost the same, so we’ve just combined them below:
- Inability to focus
- Grainy vision
- Loss of control for body movements
- Feeling dizzy
- Shooting headaches
These are some of the obvious signs and it pays well to know them, so you can know in advance if you have this condition. Still, we recommend that you consult a doctor to finalize your diagnosis.
Can Alcohol Drinking Lead To Type 2 Diabetes?
When drinking too much, you are at a high risk of damaging your liver and pancreas. The latter is responsible for producing insulin, which is the body’s natural sugar regulator. Therefore, if you drink excessively causing your pancreas to bog down, then you’re at risk of having Type II Diabetes.
How Does Alcohol Affect Type I Diabetes?
Based on medical findings, they have found that drinking moderately can help lower glucose levels in the blood. Therefore, for a patient with type 1 diabetes, drinking is prohibited since it can cause hypoglycemia.
When you have very low sugar in your body, tendencies are you will feel weak and your blood pressure drops, which can make your body collapse and stop working.
What’s the Connection Between Diabetes and Alcohol?
There is no straightforward answer for this since it depends on the scenario. Drinking can either cause hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia for certain conditions. For instance, if you drink on an empty stomach, the tendency would be if you will have a low glucose level in the blood for 12 hours.
In contrast, if you eat regularly and then pair that with 3 to 4 drinks, that can lead to a surge in your blood sugar level. If your doctor allows it, the best is to drink moderately and when you have eaten already.
Why Does Too Much Alcohol Cause High Blood Sugar Level?
There are different alcoholic beverages in the market, and each has its respective sugar level. This means that the increment in your blood sugar level depends on the kind of drink and how many times you’re drinking per week.
If you’re watching your diet and you’re drinking moderately, then that can aid your digestion. However, if you’re drinking excessively, then that can surely spike your glucose level. Also, when your pancreas is damaged due to alcoholism, then your sugar level will be uncontrollable.
What are the Effects of Alcohol on a Diabetic?
Let’s know further on the possible side effects of drinking for a person with diabetes:
- It can elevate the blood pressure
- You will have a difficult time speaking clearly
- It can alter the effects of insulin
- For a person with type I diabetes, too much drinking can cause a dramatic decrease in blood sugar level
- Drinking can enhance your appetite, so you’ll be eating more which is not good for a diabetic individual
What are Interesting Facts About Diabetes and Drinking?
Generally, drinking is prohibited if you are diagnosed with diabetes since it can damage your liver and pancreas. These two organs play a major role in regulating glucose and alcohol inside your body. Therefore, when these two organs are damaged, then it complicates your conditions, which can shorten your life.
To help you gain some insights, here are some important facts you need to know about this matter:
#1 If you’ll drink, don’t do it on an empty stomach
If your doctor allows you to have a controlled number of drinks, then make sure you’ve eaten before having a glass or shot. The food inside your gut helps reduce the body’s absorption rate of alcohol.
#2 Monitor your blood sugar before having a drink
Moderately drinking is good and it must be allowed by your doctor, otherwise, never have a sip. Before you drink, ensure you’ve measured your blood sugar for your sake.
#3 Alcohol can interrupt your insulin medication
Drinking can cause a temporary spike in your glucose levels; however, it can drop after 12 hours, which can make you feel weak and fainting. If you’ll be taking your insulin pills, be sure not to drink since it can amplify its sugar-reducing properties.
Can Heavy Drinking Disrupt Insulin Secretion?
There are several pieces of evidence already supporting the findings that too much drinking can cause insulin resistance in the pancreas. Because of that, there’ll be no way to control your glucose level in the blood, and this leads to type II diabetes.
Additionally, too much alcohol in the body can lead to the accumulation of acids in the blood, which can complicate diabetes. Some evident signs of these complications are losing sight, fatty liver, brain damage, and kidney failure.
Seek Medical Help Immediately
Experiencing either diabetes or alcohol use disorder is never easy, and we understand that. There is no instant solution for this since treatment is a life-long process that needs patience and perseverance. Therefore, don’t be afraid to seek help from doctors or an addiction specialist to help you with this battle.
Alcohol rehab treatment is your best way to recover from this unhealthy behavior. You will undergo an assessment before getting a personalized treatment program. Once you’re enrolled, you won’t feel alone since all personnel are there to comfort you and support your recovery.
The path to treatment is a challenging one, but with self-motivation and your family’s support, nothing’s impossible.