How Alcohol Affects Your Body when you have Diabetes Alcohol goes straight to your blood stream, unlike food which is digested in your GI tract. The liver sees alcohol as a toxin and is responsible for breaking it down and getting rid of it, which takes about 2 hours per drink. When you drink alcohol faster than the liver can break it down, you feel the effects of intoxication (you get a "buzz"). As you may know, the liver also pumps glucose into your blood to keep your blood sugar from dropping too low. When alcohol is introduced into your system, your liver may not notice your sugar is … [Read more...]