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A 28-year-old electrician was arrested for drunk driving on the evening of May 22 in the city of Itami, Hyogo Prefecture. Just before midnight, the station wagon he was driving collided with a traffic light and after officers arrived on the scene, they determined he was intoxicated.
However, the suspect told police, “I have a rare condition, and when I get nervous my body produces alcohol. My doctor told me before.” Police didn’t seem to buy it though, and proceeded with the arrest. The suspect is currently denying the charges.
Needless to say, many eyes were rolled online about this.
“That’s the first time I heard that excuse.”
“That is quite the condition!”
“If it’s true then he definitely shouldn’t be driving.”
“Ah… Wha? No… Really?”
“What the hell is he saying?”
“I remember reading that in an issue of Super Doctor K.”
“I knew a guy at work who always smelled bad when he got nervous…so maybe.”
Many of these naysayers might be surprised to find that the suspect’s highly suspect condition actually exists, and is often called “auto brewery syndrome” but more accurately known as “auto fermentation syndrome” or “endogenous ethanol fermentation” if you want to sound like a real smarty-pants.
Those with this rare condition have an abnormal level of certain types of yeast in their stomachs that aid in converting sugars and other carbs into alcohol. For example, if a person with auto brewery syndrome eats a grape, it literally becomes wine inside their gut. And if done in large enough quantities, then enough wine would be produced to give that person a buzz without ever drinking a drop of alcohol.
It is a rare disorder, however, and often is linked to other diseases. It’s even known to affect young kids which might explain why my two-year-old acts drunk most of the time – constantly bumping into walls and randomly telling me she loves me.
That being said, we still don’t know whether this particular electrician has auto brewery syndrome, or if he had just read about it somewhere beforehand and kept that chestnut of an excuse in his memory for an occasion such as this.
Either way, it seems like a problem than can be easily rectified with a note from the doctor that this guy claims to have consulted.
Sources: Kobe Shimbun Next, Hachima Kiko, Healthline
Read more stories from SoraNews24.
-- Middle-aged man arrested for stealing whistles from little girls
-- Woman arrested for drunk driving after having “15 non-alcoholic beers”
-- Fukuoka senior arrested for stealing a single grape, denies charges
- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2019/05/27/man-pulled-over-in-japan-for-drunk-driving-claims-his-body-produces-alcohol/
19 Comments
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Brian Wheway
When I first read this article I did laugh, but since reading various article about this syndrome its a very real, I am sure the police get to hear loads and loads of excuses over the years and they would just take it with a pinch of salt, but seriously if this guy knew that he had got their syndrome, should he have been driving?
buffalo
Classic excuse!
David Varnes
But that would be a long term thing. Sudden stress isn't going to suddenly kill off the gut biome and induce ABS, but then when the person de-stresses the gut biome suddenly corrects itself within any reasonable amount of time. Treatment of the gut biome takes a lot longer than that. If this was ABS, he'd have felt and known the effects on a chronic basis for awhile, not just when he had a bad day at work or when he suddenly, totally accidentally (supposedly), crashed his car into a pole.
albaleo
Are you sure about that? Anxiety can affect the immune system. A diminished immune system can lead to increased yeast production. Auto Brewery Syndrome is related to a certain type of yeast.
David Varnes
The reason people can (and should) laugh at this doofus is that Auto Brewery Syndrome is not something that happens because you 'get nervous.' It's not hormonally triggered. It's a physical condition dependent on diet, gut biome, etc.
So for the electrician to claim it only happens when he's 'nervous' is a load of bollocks.
That's what people are laughing at, and the House-ian level of remembering this particular condition. Not at the actual condition itself or the people who suffer from it.
Marsh Mallow
You just can't make this stuff up XD
englisc aspyrgend
Very real condition, nor actually a lot of fun. Whether this guy actually has it is yet to be determined.
Making fun of the ill, rather sad really.
hooktrunk2
Even thought the article mentions the true condition at the end, I think it is mean and not helpful to those affected if we are supposed to laugh at rare medical conditions. I am sure it is not funny for the man affected. My high school band director had this condition and had a heart felt talk with us about it after people thought he was drinking on the job. Check it out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-brewery_syndrome
Brian Wheway
“I have a rare condition, and when I get nervous my body produces alcohol. hahahahahahah!! oh my dear that's made me smile this morning, what a classic comment! you've got to give him 10/10 for trying.
Romaine Spence
Would it be possible to learn this superpower?
BeerDeliveryGuy
Auto brewery syndrome is real, and many people have been pardoned of DUI in the US and Europe because of it.
DaDude
Hey, it all depends on the police officer. One lady I know said the tiramisu she ate had a little too much alcohol in it during a sobriety check. They let her go. Another guy got pulled over for playing with his smart phone while driving. He said that he was only holding it and they let him off.
Luddite
If he knows he has this illness then he is responsible for avoiding food that can trigger alcohol production. So, he is still culpable for drink driving.
stormcrow
Well, if he loses his job as an electrician, he definitely should consider a career as a stand-up comic.
Cricky
you didn't take me seriously did you? Could eat about nothing without getting a buzz. No fruits for breakfast, cereals, honey is probably out too. Not sure about chocolate. Before diagnoses must have been on one hell off a buzz everyday all day. But we digress as I finding this all a little unbelievable. Might be such a condition but it's extremely rare. And at 28 and an electrician he is obviously cogniget enough to have survived and prospered untill that traffic light leap in front of him.
Shipwrecker
@Cricky
I think it would be awful. All the negative effects of getting drunk without getting to enjoy the actual drinking part. I wonder if a person with such a condition can get a driving license?
Cricky
Can doctors give you this condition? That would be awrsom. Appart from being linked to other health issues. By choosing your meal you could at the same time be mixing an internal drink to go with it.
Aly Rustom
Man pulled over for drunk driving claims his body 'produces alcohol'
Allow me to second that remark. The amazing thing about Japan is no matter how long you live here, you've NEVER seen or heard it all. NEVER.
Kobe White Bar Owner
Just another man child not being able to take responsibility for his actions.