Alcohol & Blood Sugar - How heavy drinking can cause unhealthy blood sugar levels

When alcohol is abused for a prolonged period of time, the likelihood of an unhealthy case of high blood sugar increases. It is the extended periods of alcohol consumption that can contribute to the emergence of the disorder hyperglycemia. Chronic alcohol intake prevents the body from properly absorbing nutrients and essential vitamins. When the liver is healthy, it will do the optimal job of detoxifying alcohol, but continuous alcohol exposure results in complications that greatly hinder the detoxification process.
 
The body identifies alcohol as a poison, and does everything it can to rid itself of it, going as far as to halt the normal management of healthy blood glucose levels. All of the sources of glucose, along with the hormones needed to maintain its healthy levels, are adversely affected by alcohol. The most seriously heavy drinkers can actually deplete their storage of glycogen within a few hours (if their diet is not fortified with adequate amounts of carbohydrates). Eventually, chronic alcohol abuse will decrease the effectiveness of insulin. The result - high blood sugar levels.
 
Excessive alcohol consumption often serves to simply mask other serious issues such as severe depression. Constant drinking only compounds these emotional problems as it may cause sexual dysfunctions like erectile dysfunction in men. Acknowledging the root of the problem is the first step to a healthier body, state of mind, and sex life.

Blood sugar levels may be kept steady by eating a diet that is high in complex carbohydrates (such as in fresh vegetables) and low in simple carbohydrates  (as in white bread). Maintaining healthy levels of blood sugar can also help restore and repair alcohol-related damage done to the liver. Also, there are natural herb supplements such as Milk Thristle, Bupleurum Chinense, Tumeric, Fo Ti, and Panax Ginseng that aid the livers regeneration and help restore blood sugar to normal levels.