Grace -
I'm so sorry for what you're going through.
My sister has diabetes. She's 20 and has been living with it since she was 5. I remember the summer we found out. It was scary and upsetting. There have been a lot of technological advances in terms of insulin regulation, my sister also went to diabetes camp every year for about five years.
The most important and difficult aspect of diabetes maintenance is the diet. My parents did a terrible job of instilling good eating habits in my sister and now she is having a tough time with her weight and also has food issues.
Apart from the occasional crisis, my sister has a normal life.
There are diabetes magazines (I get one every month) and lots of other literature. It's going to take some time to process everything, but soon it will become second nature. Getting sober is the best thing you could have done for her!
