Eric Poulin, a man from Canada, lived with distressing episodes for nearly 10 years, during which he seemed drunk without even sipping a drop of alcohol, CBC News reported. To family, friends and even doctors, he looked intoxicated, but the real cause was far rarer, a medical condition known as auto-brewery syndrome.
The auto-brewery syndrome, or gut fermentation syndrome, happens when certain yeasts or bacteria in the digestive tract convert carbohydrates into ethanol. Essentially, the body brews its own alcohol from food. The symptoms are similar to drunkenness, including dizziness, confusion, and impaired coordination.
“I’d have the kids tell me things happened, that I was crying and saying I was going to die,” he said in an interview with CBC News, further adding that he had no recollection of those distressing episodes. “I don’t remember any of it.”
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Poulin also said he hasn’t been able to work since 2023, and the condition has affected his relationship with his five children. “I don’t know what’s going to happen day to day, hour to hour, so that really leaves a lot of limitations on what I can do, where I can go, work, money, everything,” he said. “My whole life has been flipped upside down by this.”
There are fewer than 100 cases of auto-brewery syndrome that have been documented, the Cleveland Clinic noted. Hence, the case studies are limited to understanding the extent of this syndrome.
“The bacteria, fungi that can ferment alcohol become the predominant species in the gut of that person, so that leads to that continuous gut fermentation, high levels of alcohol and intoxication symptoms,” Dr Rahel Zewude said as quoted in the report. She was not aware of Poulin’s case, although she has treated patients with auto-brewery syndrome.
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Once identified, treatment is focused on controlling the overgrowth of fermenting microbes through diet changes and medication. In Poulin’s case, the diagnosis wasn’t easy, but he is getting help and support from Dr Luke Chen, who is a haematologist and professor in the department of medicine at Dalhousie University. For him, the diagnosis brought relief and an explanation for years of misunderstanding.
“The difficult thing with rare diseases is that once you get a diagnosis, the journey is not over yet; you have to get to the right treatment,” Chen said as quoted.
Poulin’s wife is also tracking his symptoms and has launched an app called ABStrack to help others struggling with auto-brewery syndrome.
“It might help people who are in Eric’s situation, where they know something’s wrong and maybe people don’t believe them, think they’re closet drinkers,” Sarah Poulin said.
