A man has a rare illness that leads to him getting drunk without even touching booze. Sadly, that also led to two DWI charges and losing his job.
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43-year-old Mark Mongiardo has a rare condition called auto-brewery syndrome (ABS). His body makes alcohol even if he's not touched booze. The yeast in his stomach ferments sugar and carbs into alcohol. Basically, it just takes bread or some sweets to make him drunk.
"Over the years before the diagnosis, I thought that I was fatigued from long days of teaching and coaching," Mongiardo told the New York Post. "[I] wasn't aware that I may have been acting or showing signs and symptoms of someone intoxicated."
Not a Drop of Booze
He would develop "slurred speech, loss of coordination, confusion and even dangerously high blood alcohol levels."
Despite not being an alcoholic, coworkers soon started calling him out for his behavior. They believe that he may have been touching the booze too much.
"There had been many instances where individuals complained that they smelled alcohol on me when I had not been drinking," he said.
Over the years, he began to put together a pattern on his condition.
"I would often notice signs appearing after consuming foods high in carbohydrates or sugar," Mongiardo explained. "There were also times when it wasn't just obvious 'sugary' foods. Even meals that seemed relatively normal could trigger symptoms."
It eventually led to two DWI charges and losing a job in six months. Eventually, he was diagnosed and started a keto diet to manage his symptoms. He also started carrying multiple breathalyzers.
"The best management of the symptoms is to rest or sleep as much as I can until my BAC is back to zero," he added. "It's very difficult to be awake or eat anything with the extreme feelings of nausea, so generally I'm bedridden."
