1. What are drugs?

Drugs are chemical substances that anyone can put in their body, and it changes how our bodies or brain works. Drugs can be taken for medical treatment or recreational reasons.

2. Recreational Drugs 

Recreational drug use is the use of chemical substances taken for enjoyment. Alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine can be classed as recreational drugs.

A recreational drug is a drug that people take without a medical reason. Some people also call them ‘party drugs’ e.g. marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, and amphetamines. These types of drugs are illegal in most countries around the world.

Please check the local laws and regulations around drug use.

You might feel like you want to try drugs for fun or are pressured into this by people around you.

Recreational drug use has detrimental and harmful effects on your body and mind, especially if you have diabetes; it can also negatively impacts on your studies, work, and social life. It could get you into trouble with law enforcement. It can also be an expensive habit which leads to additional financial issues. So if you have diabetes, the combination of recreational drugs and diabetes can have numerous detrimental effects on your health.

If someone has a problem with drugs, there are ways to get help.

3. Recreational Drugs and Diabetes

One big risk of mixing recreational drugs and diabetes is that if you take drugs, you are more likely to forget to take your insulin dose or forget to eat and drink which can quickly become a deadly situation. This means you are at a greater risk of having high blood glucose levels and developing diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA) or cause your internal organs to shut down. If you have symptoms such as stomach pain, fruity-scented breath, shortness of breath, vomiting or dehydration you need to see a doctor immediately.

It can also be the case that you might already be experiencing serious diabetes complications, but are unable to notice or do something about it because you took drugs.

Read more about complications here and managing hypoglycaemia/hyperglycaemia .

You should always remember the following:

• Know what you are taking. Research the effects of the drug before deciding to try it and discuss it with your doctor.

• Do not take something if you are unsure of what the drug is.

• Never take drugs alone. If you take drugs always have someone not taking them with you who you trust, who knows what drug you are taking and that you have Type 1 Diabetes.

• Be in a safe and comfortable environment.

• Never stop taking your insulin or checking blood glucose levels.

We strongly advise that you do not do recreational drugs because they are unsafe and can cause many problems with your health, addiction, work and your relationships with friends and family.

4. Conclusion

Recreational drugs and diabetes aren't a good combination. Aside from the possible negative health effects that drug use can have on the body, the effects of drugs can cause you to forget to take your insulin or even inject yourself with the wrong dose. This can cause serious health problems that could've easily been avoided if you opted not to take any drugs.

The effects of drugs on diabetes can also be unpredictable, and if you take drugs, you can easily put yourself in a dangerous situation. So the best thing to do would be to avoid mixing recreational drugs and diabetes.