November is Diabetes Awareness Month, the perfect time to spotlight the relationship between alcohol use and diabetes. While drinking carries health risks for everyone, people with diabetes face unique and often dangerous complications from alcohol consumption. Even if you don’t have diabetes, you should be aware that long-term, heavy drinking can increase your chances of developing this life-altering condition.
If you live with diabetes or have reasons to worry about your drinking habits, you should understand your risks and know when to seek help.
How Alcohol Affects Blood Sugar
Your liver regulates blood sugar by storing and releasing glucose between meals and overnight. This organ is also responsible for breaking down and eliminating alcohol from the body. When alcohol is present in your system, your liver will prioritize detoxifying it over regulating blood glucose levels. That can lead to a serious condition known as hypoglycemia – when blood sugar drops to dangerously low levels.
For people with diabetes, especially those taking insulin or medications like sulfonylureas, drinking can make hypoglycemia more likely and more difficult to detect.
Hypoglycemia can cause symptoms such as drowsiness, slurred speech, and impaired coordination, making it difficult to distinguish from alcohol intoxication. Drinking adds another layer of risk if you have hypoglycemia unawareness – a condition in which your body no longer signals low blood sugar.
Worse, alcohol’s effects on blood sugar are not always immediate. Hypoglycemia may occur hours after drinking, especially if you drank alcohol on an empty stomach or after physical exertion. This delayed effect can be life-threatening, particularly while sleeping.
How Alcohol Contributes to Diabetes
While people with diabetes must manage their alcohol intake carefully, heavy drinkers may unknowingly increase their risk of developing the condition. Chronic alcohol use can:
- Lead to weight gain and insulin resistance
- Contribute to inflammation and pancreatic damage
- Interfere with hormone regulation and metabolism
- Raise triglyceride levels, contributing to Type 2 diabetes
Over time, alcohol-related liver and pancreatic damage may impair your body’s ability to manage blood sugar, enough to tip the scale toward a diabetes diagnosis.
Know When to Seek Help
If you’ve been drinking heavily and have concerns about your health – related to diabetes or not – the safest way to quit is through medically supervised detox. Suddenly stopping alcohol, especially after long-term use, can cause serious withdrawal symptoms such as seizures, elevated blood pressure, or hallucinations.
Global Medical Detox provides withdrawal symptom management, counseling services, and aftercare treatment planning for people who are ready to take control of their health and begin the path to recovery. Our services include:
- 24/7 hospital-based monitoring for patients withdrawing from alcohol
- Comprehensive assessments to manage co-occurring health issues like diabetes
- Individualized care plans created by addiction medicine specialists
- Integrated support to begin building a long-term recovery plan
We understand that many people seeking detox also live with chronic conditions. Our clinical team manages these overlapping concerns in a safe, respectful, and supportive environment.
A Safer, Healthier Future Starts Here
Alcohol and diabetes are a dangerous combination – but recovery is possible. Whether you already live with diabetes or worry you might develop it, taking control of your drinking is crucial for protecting your health.
Global Medical Detox is here to help. Contact us today to learn more about our hospital-based detox services and how we can support your recovery from alcohol and other substances.