In today’s society, nothing is impossible: 

Mapping out the entire human genetic footprint? Done.

Discovering water on Mars? Done. 

Huge advancements in the AI industry? Done. 

The ability to get drunk without ingesting any alcohol whatsoever? 

…

Also done. 

If you ever find yourself slurring your words, losing your balance, or having unprecedented mood swings after eating a meal with a high dose of carbohydrates, you might have a rare medical disorder known as Auto Brewer Syndrome or ABS. This essentially means that your gut is turning carbohydrates into alcohol, specifically ethanol.

Although there are only about 100 cases of ABS known worldwide, this gastrointestinal disorder has bewildered and confused scientists for more than a century. Their initial theory was that yeast (a single-celled fungi found in many carbohydrates, especially fermented ones) was to blame, especially since it plays a fundamental role in the fermentation of sugars into the alcohol in beer. However, a study done by Mass General Brigham and UC San Diego proved that this was not the case. In this study, scientists analyzed the fecal samples of 22 ABS patients along with a healthy control. Through metagenomic sequences (collective genetic data taken directly from environmental and clinical samples) they found a huge imbalance in the number of gut bacteria in ABS patients. The surge in numbers were seen particularly in the proteobacteria family, which are known to turn carbohydrates into ethanol.

Although it has been proven that we all produce a certain amount of alcohol during digestion, what distinguishes ABS patients from the rest of the world is the fact that these bacteria (which are already found in a  higher concentration than the norm) and their fermentation enzymes go into hyperdrive during digestion, consequently flooding the person’s bloodstream with alcohol faster than than the liver can process it and break it down; this is exactly what happens when someone is drunk.

As far as we know, there is no known successful treatment, however scientists have tried the method of transplanting a healthy fecal sample into a person with ABS. Over the span of a few months, the patient’s symptoms lessened until they completely disappeared for about a whole year, however there is still a lot of work to be done. 

And as for patients refusing any treatment for ABS, or worse, healthy patients asking for the reverse treatment… This fortunately or unfortunately, however you see it, has not been done yet.