Alcohol and smoking

This section will give you the information you need on how to manage your diabetes when you drink alcohol and the effect of smoking on your diabetes. By the end you will have a better understanding of the following: 

• What happens inside your body when you drink 
• The glucose and carbohydrate content of different types of alcohol 
• How much it’s safe to drink 
• How drinking alcohol affects your glucose levels and insulin doses
• How having diabetes affects other activities when you’re drinking (dancing, walking home, sex, eating takeaways) 

By understanding these things, it will make it easier for you to adjust your insulin and food intake when you drink alcohol to keep your blood glucose levels stable. 

Before we start this part of the course, have a think about the following questions and try to get a clear picture in your head of what your normal drinking habits are like: 

• What alcohol do you drink? 
• When and where do you drink alcohol? 
• Do you go clubbing after you’ve been drinking? 
• Do you get food on the way home or eat before you go to bed? 

To start this section, please click on the first topic ‘Inside your body’ below.