Many parents are getting ready to send their kids off to college. And, for any T1D parent, that is something you have panicked about, tried to prepare for and quite possibly dreaded- I know I did. With that being said, this also means yet another difficult conversation with your T1D about the dangers of drinking. During this conversation you will likely hear that they already know about drinking with T1D, that they are prepared and maybe even that they will not drink at all. All of which is undoubtedly stated with the best of intentions.
But let's be realistic. Whether your son or daughter drinks now, whether they think they know how to handle drinking with T1D or whether they plan to abstain, we need to get the dangers of drinking with T1D across to them and their close friends, significant other, roommates, and maybe even the resident assistant of their dorm.
I had containers labeled neatly, I had plenty of snacks, I had the Glucagon, I had instructions for how to treat him if he was not able to treat himself, and I had my phone number plastered on it all. In the moments of a crisis, all of this can be pointless. The most important thing you can do for your T1D as they head off to college is to arm them with the tools they need to take care of themselves. Maybe it is setting a one drink rule for themselves, or it could be setting their basal rates on a temporary lowered setting to prevent a blood sugar crash later, but a standard MUST DO is to always eat while drinking…… NO MATTER WHAT!
Of course, we ask that they always have a way to check their blood sugar readily available. Quite often they rely on a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) and we may even have the capability to get notifications from the same. But how does that help when your son or daughter is two hours away and their blood sugar is 72 with double down arrows? If your T1D isn’t checking their blood sugar, they are likely not carrying a glucagon treatment for low blood sugar either (the effects of which are virtually diminished with alcohol in the system). This is why the eating rule must be instilled in their hormonal, moody, know it all minds!
Some other suggestions include:
Pick a “go to” drink with familiar ingredients and its affect
Discuss peer pressure and how to be prepared when others are encouraging drinking
If possible, hang out with another T1D (check to see if there is a local College Diabetes Network chapter here), people with similar interests and healthy habits
Always carry easy to eat snacks like peanut butter crackers, fruit snacks, or even candy
Alternate alcoholic drinks with water
There is no easy solution, and I wish I had a magic wand to show our T1Ds how to make safe and healthy choices. Or even better, to cure T1D. Sadly, that is not the case. Therefore, we must arm our evolving young adult T1Ds with as many tools as possible. Please share this infographic.