A man who lost his job over a DUI charge was shocked to discover that his body brews alcohol in his gut.
Mark Mongiardo from Florida first noticed symptoms of his rare medical condition called auto-brewery syndrome (ABS) while he was working as a high school teacher in New Jersey.
In 2006, his colleagues started complaining that he smelled like alcohol even though he didn’t drink at work.
The father-of-two was then put on administrative leave even though he insisted that he never drank alcoholic beverages while working.
Speaking to ABC 7, he said: “I would never do that. I’m a teacher. It was very concerning to me. I really had no idea what was going on.”
Mongiardo was then forced to leave his job and moved to Long Island with his family.
He said of his former coworkers: “I really could just see it in everyone’s eyes. They just really didn’t believe what I said when I was saying I hadn’t been drinking.”
In 2018, Mongiardo was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after failing the Breathalyzer test.
He lost his job again because of the incident.
“That’s when I lost everything,” he said. “I lost everything that somebody could lose. I had to sell my house, I had to sell my car. I couldn’t get a job in education, I couldn’t get a job at a grocery store.
“I had pending felony charges. You know, I was facing prison time for two DWIs when I had not been drinking.”
His mother then started doing some research based on her son’s condition and that’s when they found out about ABS.
That’s when the former teacher decided to seek help from gastroenterologist Dr. Prasanna Wickremesinghe who diagnosed him with ABS.
“I started hysterically crying because I really felt that I had found the answer,” Mongiardo said.
The doctor believes that the condition is caused by antibiotics, which causes disorder to the floral in the gut and allows yeast and fungus to take over.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this story with your friends and family!
Recommended Video For You!
“Drunk Driver Wakes Up From 10 Year Coma. Mortified When The Doctor Tells Him It’s All A Lie”