Months of worries and uncertainties finally came to an end for a Pennsylvania man and his wife after discovering his rare health condition that causes drunkenness.
Adam Stump, a church pastor, felt his life and marriage falling apart for months as he struggled with mood changes, sudden outbursts, and occasional blackouts.
The condition also made the Pittsburgh man slur his speech on occasions, with an alcohol stench around him all day long. Filled with many questions and uncertainties, the pastor was forced to quit driving, to avoid landing himself in a mishap.
One Possibility
Adam’s wife, Jana Stump seemed more affected by those symptoms, as her usually-sublime husband would often return home in a sour mood, reeking of alcohol.
Furthermore, she found herself at the receiving end of his outburst and belligerence, which often resulted in physical actions like overturning tables and slamming things.
At that point, Jana became convinced there was only one possibility – Her husband was secretly an alcoholic.
Living A Double Life
Jana couldn’t keep herself from feeling increasingly sad and disappointed at her husband’s secret conduct. When she confronted him, the pastor vehemently denied the allegations, trying his best to convince her he hadn’t been drinking. He explained:
“At the start, Jana didn’t believe I hadn’t been drinking. She thought I was sneaking it somewhere. I had to convince her that I hadn’t been drinking.
While that period of Adam’s life proved disheartening, knowing his beloved wife thought he led a double life made it more terrible for him.
Seeking Answers
Despite Adam’s attempts to convince her, Jana lived in doubt, stressing over her husband’s situation and hoping the worst would pass.
She got the ultimate confirmation on a fateful day. The woman admittedly spent the whole day with her husband, and never saw him take a sip.
However, when he took a breathalyzer test, later on, it showed abnormally high alcohol levels, making her realize her husband’s condition was more complicated than she thought.
That prompted the couple to seek answers, eventually visiting the hospital and receiving his life-changing diagnosis.
Answers At last
Like his wife, doctors believed Adam was a secret alcoholic after observing his symptoms and encouraged him to quit drinking.
However, following a series of tests and observations, they diagnosed him with Auto-Brewery syndrome, a condition that causes his guts to ferment carbohydrates rather than digest them.
The alcohol produced from the gut fermentation resulted in the drunkenness symptoms he exhibited. Adams revealed that although relieved to finally find answers, his wife collapsed upon hearing the news, admitting she could not bear any more stress.
A Personality Changer
Having gotten his life back under control since his diagnosis in February, Adams could only reflect on the happenings of those past months. He shared:
“There were a few times where my wife would be looking for me and I’d be in strange places like the garden or laying on the basement floor with no recollection of how I got there.”
Adams described ABS, which left him belligerent and combative, as a personality changer. Luckily, he never hurt anyone during his feats.
A New Life
Notably, the Pennsylvania pastor’s diagnosis has no viable cure, but can only be managed by regulating his diet for the rest of his life.
By implication, Adams would have to avoid carbs and depend on protein diets like eggs, chicken, hams, steak, and soy as his source of dietary energy.
Managing ABS
Looking back at his life, the father of four is positive that taking antibiotics to combat previous illnesses triggered the rare condition, which began in December 2020.
Adam’s condition is so rare that only a few cases have been reported in the last few decades. The condition makes people drunk even without taking a sip of alcohol, by converting sugary and starchy foods into alcohol instead of glucose.
Therefore, the symptoms are similar to those of a drunk person or someone feeling hungover. Hence, its common name, drunkenness disease. The condition results from too much yeast in the guts and can affect people of any age.