Nick’s wife thought he was a secret alcoholic (Picture: ABC News)

We all wish there were cheaper, easier ways to get drunk (well, most of us at least).

However one British man has revealed how he can get drunk by simply eating chips or mashed potatoes.

Nick Hess suffers from ‘auto-brewery syndrome’, which means his stomach has an overgrowth of yeast which turns any carbohydrates he eats into alcohol.

For years Nick would wake up feeling sick, or often suddenly feel drunk after meals.


His wife even started searching the house for bottles, convinced he was a secret alcoholic.

He told the BBC: ‘Sometimes it would come on over the course of a few days, sometimes it was just like “bam! I’m drunk”.’



Friends often thought he was drunk even when no alcohol had passed his lips, and it wasn’t until his wife filmed him acting wasted that he realised something was wrong.

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‘Landlord! Give me some of the good stuff’ (Picture: Getty)

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While in hospital, and still under suspicion of being a closeted alcoholic, Nick was feed a meal heavy in carbs which caused his blood alcohol level to shoot up to 120 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood – which is the equivilant of doing seven straight shots of whiskey.

After being diagnosed he was given anti-fungal drugs and put on a low carb diet to combat the condition, however he still experiences one or two episodes a month.

He said his condition is ‘nowhere near as bad as it was. I have my wife to thank for that. She carried on searching for an answer when I was ready to give up. I’m so grateful to her’.

Researchers now worry the rare condition could be ruining people’s lives by leading their family members, or even courts, to believe they are alcoholics just because they like the odd pack of hula hoops.

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