Active, dancing, and talking with friends, he had four drinks of Scotch and soda over four hours. As he had eaten several snacks and sandwiches at the party, he skipped his usual before-bed snack.
Consumption of alcohol can lower blood glucose level.
Between 4 and 5 a.m., Dr. Juliano reports, the drinker went into an insulin reaction. Normally, he would have awakened, but the alcohol had dulled his senses. It was a very near thing. Alcohol can affect perception. Consumption of alcohol interferes with the liver's release of glycogen.