Two days ago, a 40-year-old Belgian man, A, finally got rid of the charges against him and regained his innocence.
One day in April 2022, A was driving when he was stopped by a traffic police officer who investigated for drunk driving.
He blew on the breathalyzer, which showed 0.91 milligrams of alcohol per liter of blood, and when he tested again a month later, he still had 0.71 milligrams of alcohol in the air he exhaled.
(Traffic police, schematic diagram)
Belgian law states that a person who exhales one liter of air with an alcohol content of 0.22 milligrams (about 0.5 grams of alcohol per liter of blood) is drunk driving.
According to his test results, man A was "drunk driving", so he received a ticket from the traffic police.
This is not the first time he has been found to be "drunk driving", and there was one in 2019.
Although he insisted that he hadn't drunk at the time, the test results were there, and even more unfortunate was that A worked in a brewery, which made him more suspicious of "drunk driving", and he was finally fined and his driver's license revoked.
(Drunken man, schematic)
He was identified as "drunk driving" twice, and man A felt that he was wronged, because he really hadn't drunk alcohol before driving these two times, but he never understood the reason for "exceeding the standard as soon as he tested".
This time in 2022, he didn't want to be punished for a second time, so he found a doctor and a lawyer to help him find the truth together.
It doesn't matter if they check, they finally discover a secret hidden in him.
It turned out that Men A had a rare metabolic disorder called Autobrewing Syndrome (ABS).
Carbohydrates ferment in the stomach of these patients, leading to an increase in the amount of ethanol in the blood, eventually leading to symptoms of alcoholism.
So far, only about 20 people worldwide have been diagnosed with the disease, but the actual number of cases should be higher.
(related reports)
Lisa Florin, a clinical biologist at St. Lucas Hospital in Belgium, said that people with auto-winemaking syndrome produce the same type of alcohol in their bodies as they do in alcohol, and they generally don't feel "drunk" but can't escape a breathalyzer.
This condition is not a congenital condition and can cause other intestinal disorders.
If the patient has symptoms, they may have slurred speech, staggering, loss of movement, dizziness, and hiccups, among others.
(Auto-brewing syndrome, schematic)
This explains why Man A didn't need to drink at all, and was found to be "drunk driving" for no reason, because his own body has its own "wine-making" function.
With this conclusion in hand, A's lawyer began to defend him.
The lawyer said that A saw a total of 3 doctors, asked them to have independent examinations, and was finally diagnosed with auto-brewing syndrome.
It is because of this particular circumstance that counsel argues that defendant A should be found not guilty.
The court in Bruges accepted their evidence, decided to conduct a special analysis based on A's particular circumstances, and finally acquitted him.
(Court, diagram)
When Man A first appeared in court in March, the prosecutor had asked him not to drink any alcoholic beverages.
Since knowing that he has autobrewing syndrome, Man A has also paid attention and made some adjustments to his diet.
He has now switched to a low-carb diet so that his stomach doesn't produce as much alcohol.
Although the lawsuit lasted for two years, in the end, man A was cleared of suspicion and finally figured out the crux of the problem.
In the future, it is estimated that he will have to carry the case with him before he dares to drive on the road with confidence and boldness......