Why sober drivers are testing positive for drink-driving: Shocking ‘auto-brewery’ syndrome

Sober drivers testing positive in Spain? The stomach condition that confuses breathalyzers and baffles police It’s not necessary to have a few drinks the night before in order to fail a breathalyzer test.

Guardia Civil officers across Spain are scratching their heads after cases of seemingly sober drivers testing positive for alcohol — without touching a single caña. It’s not due to a faulty device or an excuse. Welcome to the weird and worrying world of Auto-Brewery Syndrome, where The following are some of the ways to get in touch with us.r gut ferments carbs into alcohol… and you Take the rap.

You’re stone-cold sober, haven’t touched a drop, and yet — bam! — you’re flagged down at a routine checkpoint, blow into the breathalyser… and it lights up like it’s New Year’s Eve.

Do you think that you have been sewed up? Think again.

You could turn your own stomach into a microbrewery that pumps alcohol into the bloodstream when you eat pasta.

What is Auto-Brewery Syndrome (ABS)? What is Auto-Brewery Syndrome?

This rare condition is known scientifically as Auto-brewery Syndrome. Or, to put it more politely: gut fermentation syndrome. Fermentation of carbohydrates into ethanol. In plain English? You’re feeling a little tippy.

Most doctors and police officers never even heard of this rare disease.

What causes ABS and ABS-like symptoms? What causes ABS?

Who is the culprit? The microbiome of the gut is raging. Mixture of bacteria and yeasts that turns sugars and starches to pure alcohol.

Among the causes are:

• Digestive disorders – Conditions like IBS, SIBO, or coeliac disease mess with your carb digestion.
• Antibiotics – Long-term use can wipe out good bacteria and let the yeast run wild.
• Liver disease – If your liver’s not clearing alcohol properly, your gut brew sticks around.

Auto-Brewery Syndrome Symptoms: Your body becomes drunk without drinking anything

Auto-brewery Syndrome causes people to appear drunk, even if not a drop has been consumed. Common symptoms include:

• Poor coordination and slurred speech
• Dizziness, mental fog
• Bloating, nausea and vomiting
• Low blood sugar crashes
• Confusion, fatigue and confusion

In extreme cases it is enough to register an alcohol level in the blood that would be considered dangerous. You can also contact us for more information. get you banned from driving in Spain — or even locked up.

This may sound like a ridiculous excuse that was conceived at 3AM while standing in a queue for a kebab. Auto-brewery syndrome The medical literature has documented this around the world.

Doctors have seen shocking cases of the rare condition. One case reported by the BMJ in 2019, a man had a blood alcohol level of 0.4% — five times over the UK drink-drive limit — without drinking any alcohol at all.

Some people in Europe, Japan, the US and other countries have achieved levels between 0.08% – 0.3% just by their own stomachs brewing alcohol after eating carbs.

In April, doctors proved to a Belgian that his stomach was producing alcohol by itself.

A 40-year old Belgian brewery worker, who was working in the country at the time, was brutally murdered by a fellow employee. Cleared of Drink Driving Doctors confirmed his gut as the true culprit.

The man said he only drank “two beer the day prior” despite the fact that he was pulled over in 2022 smelling like a brewer twice and blowing well over the legal limits both times.

In the end, it turned out that he had told the truth.

One test showed that his body had Auto-Brewery Syndrome. A panel of three physicians diagnosed him. Sugar converted into alcohol in massive quantities — all without touching a drop.

What his lawyer called “an act of God” (or, in legal terms: force majeureThe Bruges Judge ruled in favor of the man but warned him to either change his diet or install a alcolock or you may not be as lucky next time.

Here in Spain, experts are warning that this syndrome — though rare — should be taken seriously. It is possible that the law will need to catch up.

Could you suffer from Auto-Brewery Syndrome? It’s time to consult a doctor and not a bartender

Don’t panic — but don’t ignore it.

ABS is extremely rare. You may have ABS if:

• You can feel a little tipsy without alcohol
• You may be experiencing a stomach problem, fatigue, or other symptoms that are not explained.
• Or blow positive when you’re tea-total…

…then it might be worth speaking to a doctor, not a bartender.

You’re drinking bread. Your gut might be the problem.

You don’t need to down six lagers to get breathalysed these days — your gut might be the real party animal.

So next time someone claims they were “drunk on bread” — they might not be half-baked after all. Just fermented.

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