# medical question - blood alcohol result **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 17, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-blood-alcohol-result/574989 "2011-03-17T01:11:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-blood-alcohol-result/574989/41 "2013-01-17T05:44:23Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > I bet he had one helluva hangover. (Hope he’s OK) > [@Flipshod](#): > > He says he feels OK now, a little sleepy. The fact that he doesn’t have a hangover now means that his body is accustomed to dealing with massive quantities of alcohol. Sorry to say, but this seems like one more indication that he’s a closet alcoholic. That you’re a recovering alcoholic yourself probably makes it more likely that he would conceal this from you. Keep offering him your help and friendship. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-blood-alcohol-result/574989/42 "2013-01-17T05:55:58Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > The fact that he doesn’t have a hangover now means that his body is accustomed to dealing with massive quantities of alcohol. Sorry to say, but this seems like one more indication that he’s a closet alcoholic. > > That you’re a recovering alcoholic yourself probably makes it more likely that he would conceal this from you. Keep offering him your help and friendship. Of course he doesn’t have a hangover now, it’s almost two years later. That would be one hell of a hangover. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-blood-alcohol-result/574989/43 "2013-01-17T06:05:23Z")
> [@Stacia](#): > > Your friend is not lying. IT IS ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE!!! He needs to get his happy ass to to a Dr. !! I am a Diabetic that just this past weekend was admitted to the ICU, with a BAC of .26. I hadn’t touched a drink! I like, your friend, had been sick for a few days. My blood sugar wasn’t elevated, which normally will alert me to test my urine for KETONES. It wasn’t until the violent vomiting began did I realize. Never pooped myself though, thank God. > > Fill him in so he’ll at least know people will believe him. Then NAG him to take care of it!!! This is nothing to sneeze at. Left untreated, the damage to the organs can be deadly! > > Good luck. I hope it helps No it doesn’t help. Around here we demand proof. Everything I have seen says that ketoacidosis can throw off a breath test. Often the results are so far off its obvious there is something wrong. I have seen nothing to suggest that a blood test such as is given at a hospital will have a false reading. The blood test looks for ethyl alcohol only. It is not effected like a breath test is. So, cite? ---
**Author:** ![robinelizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b5e925/32.png) [@robinelizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinelizabeth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-blood-alcohol-result/574989/44 "2015-10-30T14:21:17Z")
I’m so glad I found this, did you ever find out what it was? I took my husband to the ER last night, he was so sick and they said his blood alcohol was 4% over the legal limit but he didn’t drink. I’m so worried what might be wrong with him. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-blood-alcohol-result/574989/45 "2015-10-30T14:29:25Z")
> [@robinelizabeth](#): > > I’m so glad I found this, did you ever find out what it was? I took my husband to the ER last night, he was so sick and they said his blood alcohol was 4% over the legal limit but he didn’t drink. I’m so worried what might be wrong with him. Are you _absolutely_ sure he didn’t drink? There is a very rare condition: [Auto-Brewery Syndrome](http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/09/17/223345977/auto-brewery-syndrome-apparently-you-can-make-beer-in-your-gut) ---
**Author:** ![robinelizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b5e925/32.png) [@robinelizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinelizabeth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-blood-alcohol-result/574989/46 "2015-10-30T15:23:55Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Are you _absolutely_ sure he didn’t drink? > > There is a very rare condition: [Auto-Brewery Syndrome](http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/09/17/223345977/auto-brewery-syndrome-apparently-you-can-make-beer-in-your-gut) Absolutely sure. That is something I found and we’ll look into. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-blood-alcohol-result/574989/47 "2015-10-30T15:58:09Z")
> [@robinelizabeth](#): > > I’m so glad I found this, did you ever find out what it was? I took my husband to the ER last night, he was so sick and they said his blood alcohol was 4% over the legal limit but he didn’t drink. I’m so worried what might be wrong with him. Do you mean 4% over the limit or .4% BAC because they mean vastly different things. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-blood-alcohol-result/574989/48 "2015-10-30T16:03:14Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Are you _absolutely_ sure he didn’t drink? > > There is a very rare condition: [Auto-Brewery Syndrome](http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/09/17/223345977/auto-brewery-syndrome-apparently-you-can-make-beer-in-your-gut) That article cites one case that was not verified scientifically and rumors of other cases. One case does not a syndrome make. If I read it correctly it supposedly requires exposure to Brewers yeast and antibiotic use to keep the body from processing the yeast. The one case was a frequent home brewer. The Occams Razor answer remains, years later, a closeted alcoholic. ---
**Author:** ![robinelizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b5e925/32.png) [@robinelizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinelizabeth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-blood-alcohol-result/574989/49 "2015-10-30T16:29:43Z")
4x sorry. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-blood-alcohol-result/574989.md?page=2)