Partying

If you enjoy a drink, you have probably already noticed that alcohol and hypos go together.

Why alcohol and hypos go together

There are some obvious reasons why alcohol seems to lead to hypos; for example, having so much fun you forget to eat. But to make matters worse, alcohol can shut down the natural, protective mechanism your body has for raising your blood glucose.

Normally when you don't eat, your liver helps to keep your blood glucose levels steady by making glucose from glycogen. But when you drink, your liver is so busy dealing with the alcohol, it shuts down glucose production. So that's one important line of defence against hypoglycaemia you can't count on.

Here are a few tips for safer drinking:

• Food and drink go together
  Protect yourself from hypos by never drinking on an empty stomach
• Party with a friend
  The symptoms of a hypo and the symptoms of being drunk are unfortunately very similar. So try to ensure you have a friend or partner with you who knows about your diabetes and what to do for a hypo
• Know what you're drinking
  You may already have a good idea of how much you can drink safely but it can be easy to get taken by surprise. So, keep an eye on what's being served. To be on the safe side, assume that any drink poured at home or at a party is likely to be at least twice as strong as a pub measure
• Watch out for unexpected exercise
  While you are having fun it's easy to exercise without realising it, for example when you are dancing, so always keep a little something in your pocket or handbag - a small pack of biscuits or some glucose sweets - just in case
• Before you go to bed
  Back home and exhausted, it's tempting to simply fall into bed. Unfortunately it's just as easy to slip into a hypo during your sleep. So if you've been out for a few drinks, a starchy bedtime snack is essential

When you drink alcohol

• See how your body reacts
  There is quite a lot of variation in how people react to alcohol. Testing before and a couple of times after you have a drink can help you judge how at risk you are of having a hypo. Watch out! Often drinking makes your levels rise at first but they will go down later, so remember your bedtime snack
• During the night
  Put your testing equipment and a starchy snack ready beside your bed, then if you feel unwell during the night it will be easier to test whether you are hypo or just suffering from a little too much to drink!
• The morning after
  The effects of alcohol can last well into the next day, so test more frequently and be extra careful throughout the following 24 hours

Recreational drugs

When you have diabetes you need to take extra care of your body. Using recreational drugs makes that extra care difficult. Even small doses of drugs can affect your blood glucose control, by making you forget to eat or take your insulin or tablets, or disguise the warning signs of an impending hypo.