A person who is diabetic needs to carefully monitor the levels of blood sugars by following set guidelines in terms of beverages and food intake. The most important part of managing diabetes is eating a healthy diet. Before including alcoholic beverages, it is important to consult your doctors who will advise you if it would be safe to do so. In some instances, diabetic patients will be allowed to consume alcohol but only in a controlled manner. Without medical guidelines and approval, diabetics should generally abstain from drinking alcohol as it can wreak havoc with your physical health. The following are a list of negative effects that diabetics may suffer from with continued alcohol use:
Liver damage
If you drink excessive alcohol while diabetic, chances are high that you will develop liver problems. The inability of the liver to function optimally will also hinder the creation of glucose. The more the damage that is caused to the liver the harder it becomes to manage this condition.
Spike in the levels of blood sugars
Alcohol consumption could lead to a sudden rise in blood sugar levels and result in a condition called hyperglycemia. It must be noted that most of the alcoholic beverages have high levels of carbohydrates especially those that are produced from port wine, liqueur or fruit juice.
Vision problems
Many diabetes patients will develop vision problems when they consume large quantities of alcohol. As we have said earlier, taking alcohol could lead to a spike in the levels of blood sugars. Sometimes these levels may become so high that they cause damage your vision with the ultimate result of blindness.
Damage to the nerves
Drinking alcohol while diabetic could result in nerve damage. The continuous consumption of alcohol could lead to nerve damage which will cause pain in different parts of the body, for example legs and arms.
Increase in the levels of triglycerides
Taking alcohol will not only limit the livers ability to clear fats from the body, it will also stimulate the liver to produce triglycerides. This means that there will be too much fat in the bloodstream which could become very dangerous and ultimately lead to heart disease.
There are a lot of negative outcomes for diabetics who abuse alcohol. Individuals should understand that when they stop this habit, it will become easier to manage the condition. Sometimes, it is difficult to break the habit, especially if it has gotten to the point of addiction. If you are ready to try to get on a healthier regimen, but are having difficulty taking the first step, taking 10 hour drug and alcohol class could really help you.
By taking online alcohol awareness classes, you will learn what the risks are to your alcohol abuse, and learn how to overcome the addiction by using various proven techniques. Classes can be taken privately from your own home, on your Internet based computer. Clients can log-in and out of the course whenever they choose, at any time of the day or night. There is nothing to print out and the client can speak directly with a licensed, practicing therapist during the workweek. Taking an online alcohol awareness class is a great way to improve your life forever.