Home > Blog > Alcohol and Diabetes Facts for St. Patrick’s Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!St. Patrick’s Day and drinking have been associated together for centuries, but this is not always the wisest way to celebrate the saint’s feast day. Alcohol and diabetes, for example, can be a bad combination. Try out a special green drink if you wish, but for other kinds of celebrating, there are lots of activities around Collingwood for you.

March Break at Blue offers a weekend chock full of guided show shoe tours, skating on the pond, ski and snow sport movies, glow in the dark broomball, a fire dancer, and—to cap it all off—St. Patrick’s Day fireworks! Avoiding problems with excess alcohol can mean the difference between good sugar control and complications that could damage your legs and feet.

People with diabetes should consider several things before deciding to use alcohol. Ask yourself if your glucose level is under good control, and if you really understand what effect drinking has on your disease. You may have related nerve or circulation problems that drinking would aggravate.

Alcohol is metabolized quickly, and your pancreas may end up working to remove the alcohol from your bloodstream instead of regulating your sugar level. A dangerous drop in blood sugar can have serious consequences, but because it may resemble drunkenness, you might not realize what has happened to you.

If you do decide to drink, follow the general rule for alcohol use: a limit of one or two drinks a day for men, and one for women. Keeping your diabetes under control is your first defense against foot problems. If you want more information on the relationship between alcohol and diabetes, or have foot problems caused by your condition, don’t hesitate to call Abbott Foot & Ankle Clinic in Collingwood, Ontario at (705) 444-9929.