Most parents nightmare is the day their child asks them to go clubbing. I think my mom knew it was coming but secretly hoped I would never be interested and she would get off lightly.
However, much to her disappointment I did decided to join my friends and go out out! For a few years prior to going out, my diabetes team had spoken to me about how to manage diabetes and alcohol so I felt confident enough to go.
Thankfully my experiences of drinking and diabetes have been more positive than anything and I am so glad I didn’t let it stop me!
Going clubbing with friends is something I still really enjoy and being diabetic does not stop that, however there are some things I have to be aware of.
~ lack of sleep
Sleep is something very important to all diabetics and going out for one night and going to bed the early hours of the morning can cause really problems. Not only does it leave you tired but it can cause unexpected blood sugars. Personally, I often find my blood sugars go up and down (even more than normal) on these days but that’s nothing a few hours in bed and a few packets of Haribo’s can’t solve.
~ mixers
I find this in lots of places not only bars and clubs, that people who aren’t aware of diabetes get really annoyed when you ask them to double check if it’s DIET COKE!!!!! They just think that you’re on some stupid diet and wasting their time. However, I have experienced the high blood sugars and sickness that can follow from accidentally drinking normal coke.
Personally after trying different types of alcohol I can’t say I enjoyed it much. After becoming diabetic I didn’t enjoy sweet drinks anymore~ such as cider and wine. So I often choose to stick to either gin or vodka. It’s always best to try by bottle mixers to be safe, or like me, after a few years of asking you get used to the dirty looks and don’t care about checking twice anymore.
Going clubbing and drinking isn’t for everyone, but if it is diabetes shouldn’t stop you. All it takes is organisation and lots of emergency snacks for the morning.
Sweet Enough 