Bamboozled!

I approach this topic reluctantly, but while discussing diet and food intake, I think I would be remiss not to discuss alcohol on some level. Several people who have passed through my life have been alcoholic, some recovered, some not, and some who have fallen down those twelve steps. A couple people in that last category are among those no longer in my life who I miss the most, so the subject can be somewhat loaded for me as I was not able to help people no matter how much I sincerely wanted to and tried.
I am not judgmental about alcohol use. I drink on occasion but can take it or leave it. I felt a certain propensity towards becoming an alcoholic that I have successfully resisted since that first bottle of blackberry brandy in the woods behind the house at age 15.
The diabetes itself, I think, can increase the propensity. Most diabetics are not consistent in temperament. We can be prone to depression and suffer hormonal changes to our biochemistry. This brings certain vulnerabilities to alcohol dependency or abuse that anyone can suffer. so diabetics who feel these daily desires may not be able to deny inappropriate use of alcohol as non-diabetics.
I do not think diabetics need to totally avoid alcohol or can never safely drink. Health benefits such as found in wine usually apply to diabetics. With wine, the diabetic must remain self aware as the grape source of wine can elevate sugar levels with fructose. Moderation with alcohol should always be followed.
A second hand concern was the core of my perceived need to address alcohol. Just as my experience with low fat milk elevating my sugar level more than whole milk, a diabetic friend tells me that light beers raise his sugar more than regular beers. I never acquired a taste for beer, so do not know how they achieve the reduced fat and/or calorie effects in lute beer. Strictly in a blood sugar effect, I say diabetics need to pay attention to their beer drinking.
Most of my drinking experience is with hard liquor. Basic straight alcohol–rum, gin, vodka, whiskey, etc–will lower blood sugar. But as most of the straight hard stuff is often mixed with fruit juices or liqueur varieties, this effect can be easily overridden or overlooked. Liqueurs contain sugar. contain sugar from their manufacturing and processing. Brandy and Schnapps will often have sucrose added on top of natural fructose.
The effect on sugar levels can be very inconsistent, depending on so many factors that diabetics need to be self analyzing. A shot of vodka will lower blood sugar. A screwdriver (vodka and orange juice) may have the two sugar influences cancel each other out over time, but from my experience he orange juice sugar will take effect first and be lowered by the sugar reducing alcohol. A Fuzzy Navel, which is made with orange juice, vodka and Peach Tree Schnapps, will raise the sugar. How much this effect happens depends on prior consumption sugar levels, and whether the last meal contained a lot of carbs or not, and the proportions in the drink consumed, and activity level.
There’s a lot of variables that are just harder to track with any temporary mental impairment brought by the alcohol consumed.
Diabetics are wise to avoid most alcohol, but drinking always pares down to personal choices and comfort levels, so give this opinion without judgment. The important thing, as with anyone, is to drink responsibly.