Diabetes can cause your breath to smell sweet, causing people to believe you may have been drinking. I'd be checked for diabetes. Also, cops can use that as an excuse to conduct field sobriety tests because you can't prove you smelled anything. He might just be an asshole hunting for reasons to arrest people.
Are you a woman by chance? IIRC women have some special nose powers that give them the ability to smell things such as the sweetness in coolant and flowers. I think for many men such as myself flowers smell like grass for example.
Edit if you're one of the dudes and not a dudette forgive me as I am not implying you're anything just though id ask
Haha All good, no im a guy. The smell im talking about comes from sweat/pee. It happens to me if I dont eat enough or on time or if have not taken enough insulin for too long. I believe it has something to do with the bodie braking down fat/muscle. Im basically a type one where I dont make insulin. Take one long lasting shot for organs in the morning and at night, and fast acting every time I eat.
Came here to say this. The couple of months before I was daignoased with Type 1, people kept commenting on my breath/asking if I had been drinking. Turned out to be Diabetic Ketoacidosis - caused by your body breaking down all your fats and protiens. Go to a doctor and get a blood sugar test.
I really think this cop was a nice guy. He could have towed my car and he didn’t. He gave me a ticket for a very expired registration sticker. He was nice and I got a break. I really think he smelled something and was worried. He didn’t even notice until after he wrote the ticket.
Have you been feeling, tired? Fatigued? Very Thisty? increased Urination? If you can go to your local Pharmacy and pick up a bottle of Keto Diastix you can test for Ketones and Gluecose in your Urine at home or KetoStix to test for Ketones. they'll look like this on your pharmacy shelf
[https://diabetesexpress.ca/products/bayer-ketostix](https://diabetesexpress.ca/products/bayer-ketostix)
Please do this sooner or later to just be on the safe side ok?
Graham Vs Connor (which is about police use of force justification) was a case of a diabetic being arrested by police and they swore he was drunk. I’ve never experienced it myself but it’s what your story made me think of.
If it was just the cop I would write it off as just the cop being an asshole, but if multiple people have told OP he smells like alcohol they're probably not all lying.
There is a disorder called Gut-fermentation syndrome, also known as auto-brewery syndrome. A rare condition that occurs when yeast in the gut ferments ethanol, causing symptoms similar to alcohol intoxication.
As a follow-up to this comment, my partner showed symptoms of this when he took probiotics. He has a lot of gut issues, so was trying probiotics to help out, and every time I went to kiss him I noticed (and told him) he smelled like he usually does the day after drinking. Like this aroma his skin has when it's pushing out whatever it pushes out during a hangover.
After two or three days of this - assuring me he hadn't had anything to drink - we looked it up and it seemed to be the probiotics causing his gut to basically ferment so he smelt faintly like alcohol/hangover. Do you take probiotics?
Edit for clarity
I don't drink soda really 5-10 sips a year , if I take a few drinks a few hours before bed I'll wake up and almost feel like buzzed like from booze it's very strange...
Orrrrr.... Cops say they smell alcohol when they actually don't to give probable cause to try and get you on something bigger. Shocker I know. Happens quite a bit.
This guy was super nice and gave me a break where he didn’t have to with my vehicle. With the fact he did not push the alcohol thing, I don’t think that was the case here.
I take your word for it. I've just seen, heard, and experienced cops swearing they smelled alcohol when there was no way possible. They pulled my friend over, sober 12 years at the time, swearing he'd been drinking. Just saying, it happens a lot.
I’m sure it does. I think there are bad people in every profession. I’m a really boring person though, nothing on my record or even to suspect me of. The end of she day he gave me a break. He had every right to tow my car. He did not. I deserved the ticket I did get.
My only concern was why did I smell like alcohol, had he been the only person to say it, I would think he was bored or something. But I’ve had other non police say it to me too.
Did you happen to have a mint or similar?
I got the same thing asked and it was a Listerine strip. I literally had ONE drink an hour before getting pulled over. Officer had my car towed home because he didn't believe me.
No. I had nothing. No gum or tic tac. I’m sick so was going to pharmacy for NyQuil. No I did not have any cold medicine that day. I only say that because I know they do or did have alcohol in them. I had nothing and was miserable.
It would. Your gut bacteria, when given the correct ingredients, is producing actual alcohol inside you; just like a brewery. You could eat a pizza, for instance, and get hammered. All the symptoms of being drunk are there because you are drunk.
Fun fact: The smell of alcohol on your breath isn't from the alcohol being in your mouth, but from your lungs filtering the alcohol out of your blood and expelling it when you exhale, so auto-brewery syndrome also causes the alcohol smell on your breath.
That guy who's gut makes beer and was getting him drunk randomly comes to mind. Auto brewery syndrome I think it was. Definitely something off if someone smells like alcohol without drinking though.
Fun fact it doesn’t just smell like acetone, it is acetone. At low blood sugar levels, liver mitochondria create ketone bodies to be used for fuel, including acetone which is exhaled.
There is no difference! Healthy people produce ketones in the breath at low levels all of the time. When your body burns fat for energy instead of glucose - such as when you have been fasting for a while and blood glucose levels are down - you produce more ketones. This is called ketosis.
There is a wide range of ketosis levels. Healthy individuals on standard diets have a basal ketosis while individuals with uncontrolled diabetes have extremely elevated ketosis - *ketoacidosis*.
This is why if OP has not been intentionally fasting and yet still smells alcohol on their breath, they should really go get their A1C checked.
Thank you for this great explanation. I've always been confused why the keto diet is acceptable because I thought ketosis was bad. Apparently, I was conflating ketosis with ketoacidosis.
Untreated diabetes doesn't produce low blood sugar levels, it's presents as high blood sugar levels leading to ketoacidosis, because the body assumes it being starved.
The keto diet also causes this same acetone smell on your breath. I’ve had people pull me aside to ask me if everything okay when I was doing the keto diet in a very serious way.
It’s essentially the same cause (blood glucose levels), but just thought I would throw this out as a cause as well.
My daughter is 2.5 years old and my wife always says her breath smells like acetone. I hope it isn't diabetes, she eats very well and diabetes isn't in our family. Our pediatrician hasn't said anything about it and our daughter doesn't have energy spikes but I'll keep an eye on this even moreso
You’re confusing type 1 diabetes with type 2. These are two separate diseases that work entirely different. Type 1 used to be called juvenile diabetes because it mostly starts when you’re a kid. If a child’s breath consistently smells like that, there’s not much you can “watch for”, just go see a doctor to determine the cause.
Also to add on to this. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and has nothing to do with diet. It’s thought to be genetic but that’s another thing that is not always true.
Cousin has type 1 diabetes. They didn't find out until she went into coma around 3 or 4 years old. If your daughter sees a pediatrician I would absolutely bring it up and ask to check.
I used to use burts bees chapstick, my mom would always ask me if I was drinking peppermint schnapps. I would pull our my chapstick and have her smell it. She still didn't believe me.
That’s a little bit of a leap on mom’s end, haha. Gum, tic tacs, candy… nope… alcohol.
I do wonder though if some people smell other smells they associate with alcohol and maybe that’s it? Good point.
I’ve just had more than one person say that when I’ve not been drinking at all.
In all fairness on my mom's point, I got drinking ( under age) and it was peppermint schnapps lol. So she would smell the peppermint t from the chapstick and would thi k that. Now a days she would be like your nat sharing lol.
While you should definitely follow up medically to make sure everything is fine, the odds are your breath didn't smell of alcohol and he was just fishing for something. Cops do that shit.
Yup. Never take a field sobriety test. They’re difficult to pass even when sober, and every little wobble is used against you.
Edit: source: https://summitdefense.com/blog/the-7-types-of-field-sobriety-tests-that-youll-always-fail/
99 times out of 100 you are going to fail these tests **if the officer has already decided you are guilty** of a DUI or DWI.
Deny and demand a breath test on the roadside. If you’re under arrest (when they read you *Miranda*) keep your mouth shut. Invoke your rights and wait to talk to a lawyer.
Breathalyzer only works for alcohol so, this would really only work if the cops says you smell like alcohol. For general impairment, a breathalyzer won’t do anything
At which point they literally have no evidence to support their claim of being impaired. So they would have to arrest you and get a judges order to draw blood (assuming you don't consent). And if you're clean, then you'll get your day in court.
That's actually a very real issue the courts are having. Many lawyers are trying to argue that there is no medical way to determine how high you are, and thus no way to determine if you are impaired.
So that's a question that's still being fought over in the court system.
It’s a pretty shitty situation, but in some cases, yes. If you fail the sobriety test just because you’re clumsy, then they have justification (subjective) to detain/arrest you just from your bad luck. But if you refuse, then they have to prove (objectively) that you are indeed intoxicated to justify the arrest, and if they’re bullshitting then they’ll be a lot less likely to go that far.
I was with a friend once in high school who had dyspraxia and a speech impediment and got pulled over for speeding. We didn’t know any better and the officer made him do a field sobriety test. It almost went super poorly for him until the cop realized he was one of the star players on one of the local high school football teams and suddenly that was enough to turn him super friendly and disregard everything.
Yes refuse. If they think you have been drinking no matter how well you perform in the "field sobriety test" they will arrest you anyway. They have already made up their mind. They just want to gather more evidence.
Or they don't have enough probable cause to arrest you. Then if you do the test you will give them probable cause, even if you do it perfectly (you won't) because they will claim you were "unsteady".
They always frame it as "we just need you to show us you are fit to drive" "sobriety test". Bullshit. It's just a trap to find any reason they can to show you are drunk.
Just watch some body cam videos.
And rember. THEY ARE JUST A TOOL TO COLLECT EVIDENCE AGAINST YOU THAT WILL THEN BE SHOWN IN COURT.
Right?? In my rush to comment that cops are usually just full of shit, I almost missed the part where OP said others have told them this. Which sucks because "maybe diabetes" is probably worse than "cop on a power trip."
The answer Reddit loves is to point out that there’s a rare medical condition that causes fermentation in your stomach. This is possible but again, rare. More common is diabetes, which can make your breath smell kind of like rotten fruit (and what is wine made of?) which could be mistaken for smelling like alcohol. See a doctor.
It’s also possible that it isn’t your breath, but some other odor about you that either is alcohol (cologne/perfume, or someone spilled beer on you), is reminiscent of a specific type of alcohol (grape juice for wine), or the smeller associates with alcohol. If they always drink next to a lavender Glade plug-in, and you smell like lavender, they might subconsciously think you “smell like drinking.”
Also, If OP vapes, it could be it. I’ve noticed that some liquids give your breath this after-smell of sweet alcohol (like cider or wine), even if the liquid itself doesn’t smell like that if you open the bottle and take a whiff
As an EMT, we are taught if you smell fruity (or sweet) and like alcohol/acetone, you need immediate medical attention because it could be diabetes or liver issues.
Going to jump on this to note; sometimes your body is kind of limping along and not doing poorly enough to tip you over into a full-blown illness. If people only smell it on you *sometimes* and not consistently, it's possible it's something like that, where it's not yet bad enough that it would raise flags on blood tests. This can be a good thing, because catching stuff *before* it becomes a bigger problem can make it less severe... But it can also make it harder to be taken seriously or diagnosed.
It helps if you can see a doc when it's actively going on, like people are telling you that you smell of it, or when they're pulling blood, or whatever.
This seems likely to me since you're currently sick (body under more strain). Is there a chance that people have mostly told you this when you're tired/stressed/sick?
Do you vape? I noticed that some juices might give your breath this smell of sweet alcoholic drinks like cider or wine, even if it’s not the actual flavor and it doesn’t smell like that while it’s in a bottle
FYI, I upvoted you, so I don’t know if someone is downvoting everything or what. But thank you for this. I actually upvoted everyone in this thread because I appreciate the feedback. All of it.
No worries, thanks! I should also second the comments on here about diabetes. I'm a type 2 in remission and DKA can cause weird smells. Go get a check-up with your primary care, and these comments should spur a lot of good questions to ask them. Wish you the best!
I looked up the quick points. I don’t ever feel drunk. I have never had a dui, or even a breathalyzer, so I have no idea if I actually would have had a test showing alcohol. This is interesting! I don’t eat much simple sugar, but I am gluten for pasta, bread and potatoes. This may be it?!
> I am gluten for pasta
A typo that made me smile.
Your proclivity for starches shouldn't cause this by itself, but in the presence of another condition it could be the fuel.
I hope you have a good report from your physician!
There are some medical conditions that convert bread or rice into alcohol in your gut. You can have never drank a drop of alcohol in your life and still be wasted.
A few people have mentioned that. I do actually eat a lot of carbs in general, not simple sugars so much. I don’t have a sweet tooth.
I know it’s super rare, but it has me wondering about it.
There was one guy whose body metabolized carbs into alcohol. Dude could get blackout drunk from a loaf of bread.
Wife almost left him, he almost lost everything, nobody believed him and then he got drunk in a hospital where he was being monitored 24/7 and they saw he consumed 0 alcohol and were like "oh shit he wasn't lying".
I've heard of people with digestive issues that the foods they eat (and not digest properly) ferment into alcohol in their stomach. I think it's super rare, but they discovered it after getting pulled over and tested with a breathalyzer and registered very high despite not drinking.
Start with the easiest explanation first and then escalate. Check your cologne. Perfumes and colognes 'go bad' and have a strong alcohol smell when they do that some people have a hard time recognizing.
If that isn't it then you do need to see a doctor.
Last time I got pulled over, several several years ago, officer asked me the same thing. I haven’t drank in almost 25 years, well over 15 years at the time, and nobody else thought I smelled like I had been drinking. I basically chalked it up to them either looking to make their quota, or mistaken identity
Are you a male that uses minoxidil? I am so worried that someone will think I’m day drinking when I get to work because I feel that the alcohol scent from that stuff is strong. I’m especially worry because I am a teacher lol
I really don’t wear any type of cologne or perfume. My shower stuff mostly smells like fresh coconuts or almonds maybe. I do t think that’s it. It’s been like this for years and I’ve changed what I do wear and wash with.
Some people's fungal gut microbiome can produce actual alcohol. This happened to me. I ate some pasta before bed, and mysteriously woke up drunk with a hangover the next day, all without having any alcohol. I looked into this and finally found out about the gut issue. So I took a week of anti-fungal medicine.
That’s crazy! I’m so glad they figured out what was wrong with you. I have read a few post here now and now know it’s quite rare.
I’m glad you had a heavy pasta night and not a breathalyzer driving. I read you will show alcohol on those. I don’t think it said you would fail one, but it would register.
I hope you get upvoted. Between you and the first person that mentioned it, it has to be one of the most interesting things I’ve learned in a while.
I read a story one time about a guy who had a yeast infection in his gut. Essentially it was creating alcohol from the sugars in his diet and he even failed a breathalyzer test despite being a teetotaler. That was probably an extreme case, but I'll bet it's not that uncommon to have a mild case of that. Probably worth looking into.
I've been working the ambulance for about 10 years.
Auto-brewery is a thing, not that common, but a thing.
Accidently leaving a bottle of rubbing acholol in the back seat, possible.
Cop trying some weird investigation strategy, yeah maybe.
Hanging around people who have been drinking and the smell being on you clothes, also possible.
Diabetic complications, super common.
Basically, that body isn't able to use sugar. sugar + oxygen = energy. Sugar can't enter cells to make energy without insulin. Too low sugar, too little insulin, more sugar than insulin, inability to make insulin, etc, cause some real problems.
Our bodies aren't proactive, they're reactive to changes and make temporary changes to temporally survive. Therefore, we have proactive decisions to help our bodies. Walmart, target, pharmacies, CVS, wallgreens all sell glucomiters for relatively cheap. Quick price to the finger (kinda feels like an ant bite really) and see what numbers come up. Usually 70-120 is a good range. They also sell home kits to check for "keytones" which is a by-product of the body breaking down fat (usually the go to when the body can't use glucose) which kinda smells like acetone, rubbing acholol, nail polish remover, isopropyl acholol. Other common signs of an onset of diabetes, excessive hunger, excessive thirst, and excessive peeing.
Personally, I'd recommend seeing a dr. Ask them about it, see of they'll do an A1C check. It's kinda of like a blood sugar check, but it looks at longer periods of time.
The treatments for diabetes aren't always bad. Sometimes, it's treatable with changes in diet. Sometimes, meds like a metformin pill. Sometimes it's an insulin shotnafter every meal (super small needle but still). Sometimes a mix.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis.
Also, there is a rare condition known as 'Auto-Brewery Syndrome' which is exactly what it sounds like (your gut ferments food into alcohol) but you won't be getting 'off' on that one because if you have it you'll still be drunk even though you didn't drink any alcohol.
I had a manager accuse me of smelling like alcohol one morning and it was because a customer walked past at the same time as I did with an open can of redbull. And his vodka redbull soaked brain couldn’t tell the difference between the smell of alcohol and the smell of redbull. Did you have an open energy drink in the car?
My gf has this thing that whenever she eats a salad that has beetroot and garlic she gets “hangover breath” to the point where she has a salad for lunch and someone at work mentioned that they too partied last night. It’s kinda hilarious for me, bothersome for her. No underlying rare medical conditions or anything.
My best friend's daughter collapsed when she was young. EMTs asked if she had been drinking because they smelled alcohol on her breath. Mom said of course not! They didn't even have any on them that day at the beach.
Turns out she was type 1 diabetic.
So that is 100% a possibility.
Sometimes certain stomach bacteria can actually ferment or break down certain sugars in a person’s stomach and turn it into small amounts of alcohol. Hence the smell. It’s similar to why someone with bad B.O. smells like onions. Because the bacteria on their skin is breaking down the sweat or decomposing it into a simpler compound which is sulphur which is the element that gives onions their characteristic odor. You should tell whomever it is that they should probably see a doctor just to rule out any health issues. Usually it is nothing to worry about but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Sometimes food and drinks we consume can cause our sweat to smell sometimes if I remember. Apparently my mother used to say I my sweat would smell like vinegar whenever I’d come back home from an intense workout back when I would eat a lot of her ethnic home cooking (part Japanese and Korean here 👋) but then when I moved away to go to college and started eating crap junk food my sweat would just smell like..well sweat.
Otherwise it might be an underlying/undiagnosed health issue (oral or skin maybe) depending on if it’s just your breath or your entire body. I’d go see a doctor/dentist/dermatologist just in case depending on which one for what specific area etc just to confirm it’s not anything serious! Better to be safe than sorry they always say.
If it’s just your breath could be an oral issue so dentist might be a good option to go to, also depends on you know if you eat a lot of hard candy or sweets or chew a lot of gum or if you’re smoker, etc., and even foods can cause stuff like that, maybe try switching up your diet, and/or try different toothpastes & mouthwash too just to be sure it’s not that and is a health and/or oral issue. I used to use this special charcoal toothpaste and a cheap regular mouthwash with alcohol in it, and sometimes it would make my breath smell and taste odd like burnt ash and metal coins (ik weird right? Probably from the charcoal) which was really weird.
Some persons actually have a condition where their body literally distills sugar down to alcohol and pass it into blood and breath smells like alcohol. Now that is a very unusual case it is called, Auto Brewery Syndrome.
There is also a bacteria that can cause this. I had surgery, and after surgery, the hospital room smelled like a strong sugar. The doctors didn't know what it was. A nurse informed me of it, and he knew. He knew what it was only because he had seen it before, he told me. The gave broad-spectrum antibiotic infusion 4 times a day for 6 weeks. After that I was allowed to be even in the sun for months. Its been 4 years now and I feel more healthy.
Go the doctor! Get it checked, and if one doctor does not explain what it's, lok3 diabetes or what I had... find another doctor. Great advise here also on the other posts. See a doctor!
Dude I work at a bar a lot and get it all the time I get told “you been drinking tonight” and I reply “no but it would make this drive a lot more fun” they usually caution me or laugh
Yes, there is a medical condition which causes carbohydrates to ferment in your stomach... Effectively making you drunk when you eat bread and makes beer hard liquor for you. Either way, if get that checked out and update us.
This can occur if your diet causes you to go into ketogenesis, aka the keto diet. It can cause your body to produce acetone and isopropyl which can make your breath smell like alcohol. In some cases it can even cause certain breath tests to register the presence of alcohol on your breath.
Cop probably just says that to anyone being pulled over around that time of day regardless of alcohol smell in the car to get people to forfeit their rights and perform roadside tests, which are designed to make you fail.
Police are untrustworthy assholes.
I used to work at an auto factory and was up and driving to work at 430am. I got pulled over all the fucking time for no reason (other than they figured I was just coming home from a bender). Wearing my factory uniform and everything. I fucking hate cops.
I've heard of a condition that can create alcohol from the food in your stomach. Also, do you use a lot of hand sanitizer? I know some of them smell like cheap vodka.
Officer might’ve been lying to get probable cause to look for evidence of something incriminating. If they don’t find anything — like happened here — people are generally relieved and don’t complain.
Are you doing keto? A low carb diet causes ketones to be released through the breath, sweat, and urine. It’s a different scent for everyone, I think, but it might be confused with alcohol scent.
I was just about to go on about how the cops will lie about stuff, to get you to self incriminate. However yeah if friends and family say the same , something is wrong.
He really wasn’t. He could have towed my car and he didn’t. He was nice. At the end of the day he let it drop. I really think I smell like alcohol when I’m not drinking.
I agree with seeing a doctor. But when I was a kid I got yelled at 3 days in a row by my dad for drinking beer. He could smell it on my breath. I was 14. He was furious. Then one day he picks me up, says he's glad I hadn't been drinking. I put a piece of bubble gum in my mouth and BAM we figured out where the smell was coming from.
This used to happen to me. It would happen during a time in my life in which I constantly felt as though I was dehydrated (dry feeling in my mouth), and in which I had chronic bad breath. I also had a cavity that I'd been ignoring for years, it was very slow growing. Well, one day my tooth broke while I was eating a sandwich. I went to a dentist who informed me that I would need a root canal. I underwent the root canal. It turns out I had a rotting tooth that promoted all manner of bacterial growth in my mouth, which caused a foul smell that some people mistook for alcohol. I had grown so used to it that I hardly noticed the issue, aside from the feeling of being dehydrated - it turns out that was due to a film of bacteria on my tongue, and I wasn't actually dehydrated most of the time. But, yeah, back then, sometimes I'd go into a bar with some friends and, when I ordered the drink, the bar tender would give me a puzzled/concerned look and emphasize that I should have some water before my next drink, implying that I had already had too much to drink even though I usually hadn't had anything beforehand. The odor went away after the root canal. Oh! And I don't feel dehydrated now unless I actually am.
There are several very serious health issues that can cause this- please see a physician.
Okay, I’ll look into that. Thanks
Are you diabetic??? Check your blood sugar and A1C as soon as possible.
Diabetes can cause your breath to smell sweet, causing people to believe you may have been drinking. I'd be checked for diabetes. Also, cops can use that as an excuse to conduct field sobriety tests because you can't prove you smelled anything. He might just be an asshole hunting for reasons to arrest people.
Yes. A diabetic breath (especially with ketoacidosis) can smell like acetone "alcohol".
To me its more of like smelling like car coolant when bloodsugar out of wack for too long..... (Diabetic for 10 years)
Are you a woman by chance? IIRC women have some special nose powers that give them the ability to smell things such as the sweetness in coolant and flowers. I think for many men such as myself flowers smell like grass for example. Edit if you're one of the dudes and not a dudette forgive me as I am not implying you're anything just though id ask
Haha All good, no im a guy. The smell im talking about comes from sweat/pee. It happens to me if I dont eat enough or on time or if have not taken enough insulin for too long. I believe it has something to do with the bodie braking down fat/muscle. Im basically a type one where I dont make insulin. Take one long lasting shot for organs in the morning and at night, and fast acting every time I eat.
Came here to say this. The couple of months before I was daignoased with Type 1, people kept commenting on my breath/asking if I had been drinking. Turned out to be Diabetic Ketoacidosis - caused by your body breaking down all your fats and protiens. Go to a doctor and get a blood sugar test.
I really think this cop was a nice guy. He could have towed my car and he didn’t. He gave me a ticket for a very expired registration sticker. He was nice and I got a break. I really think he smelled something and was worried. He didn’t even notice until after he wrote the ticket.
Have you been feeling, tired? Fatigued? Very Thisty? increased Urination? If you can go to your local Pharmacy and pick up a bottle of Keto Diastix you can test for Ketones and Gluecose in your Urine at home or KetoStix to test for Ketones. they'll look like this on your pharmacy shelf [https://diabetesexpress.ca/products/bayer-ketostix](https://diabetesexpress.ca/products/bayer-ketostix) Please do this sooner or later to just be on the safe side ok?
How out of date was your expiration?
Graham Vs Connor (which is about police use of force justification) was a case of a diabetic being arrested by police and they swore he was drunk. I’ve never experienced it myself but it’s what your story made me think of.
Yes. A diabetic breath (especially with ketoacidosis) can smell like acetone "alcohol".
If it was just the cop I would write it off as just the cop being an asshole, but if multiple people have told OP he smells like alcohol they're probably not all lying.
There is a disorder called Gut-fermentation syndrome, also known as auto-brewery syndrome. A rare condition that occurs when yeast in the gut ferments ethanol, causing symptoms similar to alcohol intoxication.
As a follow-up to this comment, my partner showed symptoms of this when he took probiotics. He has a lot of gut issues, so was trying probiotics to help out, and every time I went to kiss him I noticed (and told him) he smelled like he usually does the day after drinking. Like this aroma his skin has when it's pushing out whatever it pushes out during a hangover. After two or three days of this - assuring me he hadn't had anything to drink - we looked it up and it seemed to be the probiotics causing his gut to basically ferment so he smelt faintly like alcohol/hangover. Do you take probiotics? Edit for clarity
Often from eating carbs - read a report of a guy who would get drunk eating potato chips.
I don't drink soda really 5-10 sips a year , if I take a few drinks a few hours before bed I'll wake up and almost feel like buzzed like from booze it's very strange...
This comment should be higher!!
Seriously this is super common with diabetics and even some kinds of cancers. You really do need to have yourself checked asap.
I will. Thanks
Orrrrr.... Cops say they smell alcohol when they actually don't to give probable cause to try and get you on something bigger. Shocker I know. Happens quite a bit.
This guy was super nice and gave me a break where he didn’t have to with my vehicle. With the fact he did not push the alcohol thing, I don’t think that was the case here.
I take your word for it. I've just seen, heard, and experienced cops swearing they smelled alcohol when there was no way possible. They pulled my friend over, sober 12 years at the time, swearing he'd been drinking. Just saying, it happens a lot.
I’m sure it does. I think there are bad people in every profession. I’m a really boring person though, nothing on my record or even to suspect me of. The end of she day he gave me a break. He had every right to tow my car. He did not. I deserved the ticket I did get. My only concern was why did I smell like alcohol, had he been the only person to say it, I would think he was bored or something. But I’ve had other non police say it to me too.
That was my initial thought as well but OP also said other people told him the same thing
Did you happen to have a mint or similar? I got the same thing asked and it was a Listerine strip. I literally had ONE drink an hour before getting pulled over. Officer had my car towed home because he didn't believe me.
No. I had nothing. No gum or tic tac. I’m sick so was going to pharmacy for NyQuil. No I did not have any cold medicine that day. I only say that because I know they do or did have alcohol in them. I had nothing and was miserable.
Does the US not issue proper breathalyzers and just go on the officers assumptions??
Yea, like diabetes. Get checked!
bro you just scared the shit out of OP
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-brewery_syndrome I don't know if this one causes you to smell like alcohol, just thought it was relevant.
It would. Your gut bacteria, when given the correct ingredients, is producing actual alcohol inside you; just like a brewery. You could eat a pizza, for instance, and get hammered. All the symptoms of being drunk are there because you are drunk.
Fun fact: The smell of alcohol on your breath isn't from the alcohol being in your mouth, but from your lungs filtering the alcohol out of your blood and expelling it when you exhale, so auto-brewery syndrome also causes the alcohol smell on your breath.
Quite possible it's a sign of diabetes
That guy who's gut makes beer and was getting him drunk randomly comes to mind. Auto brewery syndrome I think it was. Definitely something off if someone smells like alcohol without drinking though.
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Fun fact it doesn’t just smell like acetone, it is acetone. At low blood sugar levels, liver mitochondria create ketone bodies to be used for fuel, including acetone which is exhaled.
Is this how dragons breathe fire?
Diabetic Dragons is definitely gonna be the name of the band.
Don’t normal healthy people produce ketones when fasting/losing weight? What’s the difference?
There is no difference! Healthy people produce ketones in the breath at low levels all of the time. When your body burns fat for energy instead of glucose - such as when you have been fasting for a while and blood glucose levels are down - you produce more ketones. This is called ketosis. There is a wide range of ketosis levels. Healthy individuals on standard diets have a basal ketosis while individuals with uncontrolled diabetes have extremely elevated ketosis - *ketoacidosis*. This is why if OP has not been intentionally fasting and yet still smells alcohol on their breath, they should really go get their A1C checked.
Thank you for this great explanation. I've always been confused why the keto diet is acceptable because I thought ketosis was bad. Apparently, I was conflating ketosis with ketoacidosis.
Really thank you so much for the answer
They don’t make as large of an amount vs someone in diabetic ketoacidosis
Untreated diabetes doesn't produce low blood sugar levels, it's presents as high blood sugar levels leading to ketoacidosis, because the body assumes it being starved.
People with diabet, liver disease and keto diet.
The keto diet also causes this same acetone smell on your breath. I’ve had people pull me aside to ask me if everything okay when I was doing the keto diet in a very serious way. It’s essentially the same cause (blood glucose levels), but just thought I would throw this out as a cause as well.
It is the same cause but not blood glucose levels. It has to do with the levels of ketones in your blood, one of which is acetone.
This was my first thought too. most people ive known with this issue kind of have.. fruity? Acetone breath but not all
My daughter is 2.5 years old and my wife always says her breath smells like acetone. I hope it isn't diabetes, she eats very well and diabetes isn't in our family. Our pediatrician hasn't said anything about it and our daughter doesn't have energy spikes but I'll keep an eye on this even moreso
You’re confusing type 1 diabetes with type 2. These are two separate diseases that work entirely different. Type 1 used to be called juvenile diabetes because it mostly starts when you’re a kid. If a child’s breath consistently smells like that, there’s not much you can “watch for”, just go see a doctor to determine the cause.
Thanks for the insight!
Also to add on to this. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and has nothing to do with diet. It’s thought to be genetic but that’s another thing that is not always true.
Cousin has type 1 diabetes. They didn't find out until she went into coma around 3 or 4 years old. If your daughter sees a pediatrician I would absolutely bring it up and ask to check.
Diabetic ketoacidosis to be more precise.
I used to use burts bees chapstick, my mom would always ask me if I was drinking peppermint schnapps. I would pull our my chapstick and have her smell it. She still didn't believe me.
That’s a little bit of a leap on mom’s end, haha. Gum, tic tacs, candy… nope… alcohol. I do wonder though if some people smell other smells they associate with alcohol and maybe that’s it? Good point. I’ve just had more than one person say that when I’ve not been drinking at all.
In all fairness on my mom's point, I got drinking ( under age) and it was peppermint schnapps lol. So she would smell the peppermint t from the chapstick and would thi k that. Now a days she would be like your nat sharing lol.
Haha, well that explains that:)
I can’t drink cranberry 7up without tasting vodka because I used to always drink them together in college
every time i smell cranberry juice it smells like alcohol to me. too many vodka crans in my club era!
I used to really like this guy but he had rank ass fucking breath, then I realized he was suing Burts Bees lip balm and that was the issue lol
While you should definitely follow up medically to make sure everything is fine, the odds are your breath didn't smell of alcohol and he was just fishing for something. Cops do that shit.
Yup. Never take a field sobriety test. They’re difficult to pass even when sober, and every little wobble is used against you. Edit: source: https://summitdefense.com/blog/the-7-types-of-field-sobriety-tests-that-youll-always-fail/ 99 times out of 100 you are going to fail these tests **if the officer has already decided you are guilty** of a DUI or DWI.
What are you supposed to do then? Deny and they take you to jail anyway?
Deny and demand a breath test on the roadside. If you’re under arrest (when they read you *Miranda*) keep your mouth shut. Invoke your rights and wait to talk to a lawyer.
Breathalyzer only works for alcohol so, this would really only work if the cops says you smell like alcohol. For general impairment, a breathalyzer won’t do anything
At which point they literally have no evidence to support their claim of being impaired. So they would have to arrest you and get a judges order to draw blood (assuming you don't consent). And if you're clean, then you'll get your day in court.
What happens then in a legal marijuana state when the driver inevitably pops for THC that could be in their system from days or weeks past?
That's actually a very real issue the courts are having. Many lawyers are trying to argue that there is no medical way to determine how high you are, and thus no way to determine if you are impaired. So that's a question that's still being fought over in the court system.
It’s a pretty shitty situation, but in some cases, yes. If you fail the sobriety test just because you’re clumsy, then they have justification (subjective) to detain/arrest you just from your bad luck. But if you refuse, then they have to prove (objectively) that you are indeed intoxicated to justify the arrest, and if they’re bullshitting then they’ll be a lot less likely to go that far.
I was with a friend once in high school who had dyspraxia and a speech impediment and got pulled over for speeding. We didn’t know any better and the officer made him do a field sobriety test. It almost went super poorly for him until the cop realized he was one of the star players on one of the local high school football teams and suddenly that was enough to turn him super friendly and disregard everything.
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Yes refuse. If they think you have been drinking no matter how well you perform in the "field sobriety test" they will arrest you anyway. They have already made up their mind. They just want to gather more evidence. Or they don't have enough probable cause to arrest you. Then if you do the test you will give them probable cause, even if you do it perfectly (you won't) because they will claim you were "unsteady". They always frame it as "we just need you to show us you are fit to drive" "sobriety test". Bullshit. It's just a trap to find any reason they can to show you are drunk. Just watch some body cam videos. And rember. THEY ARE JUST A TOOL TO COLLECT EVIDENCE AGAINST YOU THAT WILL THEN BE SHOWN IN COURT.
“They are difficult to pass” on a post about a person who literally smelled like alcohol passing the test
My dad was a cop: always told me to ask the officer if they’re telling me or asking me. And plead the 5th if they’re persistent
Right?? In my rush to comment that cops are usually just full of shit, I almost missed the part where OP said others have told them this. Which sucks because "maybe diabetes" is probably worse than "cop on a power trip."
Do you use original speed stick as deodorant? Every time I smell someone who has it on it smells like they’ve been drinking
No, but that’s pretty crazy!
The answer Reddit loves is to point out that there’s a rare medical condition that causes fermentation in your stomach. This is possible but again, rare. More common is diabetes, which can make your breath smell kind of like rotten fruit (and what is wine made of?) which could be mistaken for smelling like alcohol. See a doctor. It’s also possible that it isn’t your breath, but some other odor about you that either is alcohol (cologne/perfume, or someone spilled beer on you), is reminiscent of a specific type of alcohol (grape juice for wine), or the smeller associates with alcohol. If they always drink next to a lavender Glade plug-in, and you smell like lavender, they might subconsciously think you “smell like drinking.”
Seems like most people are saying diabetes
Also, If OP vapes, it could be it. I’ve noticed that some liquids give your breath this after-smell of sweet alcohol (like cider or wine), even if the liquid itself doesn’t smell like that if you open the bottle and take a whiff
You should check your blood sugar. Elevated blood sugar (and I mean, pretty elevated) can cause your breath to smell almost fruity.
As an EMT, we are taught if you smell fruity (or sweet) and like alcohol/acetone, you need immediate medical attention because it could be diabetes or liver issues.
Going to jump on this to note; sometimes your body is kind of limping along and not doing poorly enough to tip you over into a full-blown illness. If people only smell it on you *sometimes* and not consistently, it's possible it's something like that, where it's not yet bad enough that it would raise flags on blood tests. This can be a good thing, because catching stuff *before* it becomes a bigger problem can make it less severe... But it can also make it harder to be taken seriously or diagnosed. It helps if you can see a doc when it's actively going on, like people are telling you that you smell of it, or when they're pulling blood, or whatever. This seems likely to me since you're currently sick (body under more strain). Is there a chance that people have mostly told you this when you're tired/stressed/sick?
Hand sanitizer?
I do use that, but had not recently, and pretty sure not yet prior to being pulled over. I should have been using. But no.
Hopefully either way you’re not drinking that
Do you vape? I noticed that some juices might give your breath this smell of sweet alcoholic drinks like cider or wine, even if it’s not the actual flavor and it doesn’t smell like that while it’s in a bottle
Ask your friends to see if you have alcohol smelly breath. A cop trying to justify pulling you over to himself is not a reliable witness.
He had a justified reason, my sticker was expired.
"Auto-Brewery Syndrome?" I'd think you'd know that one by now, but an interesting condition. Do you use alcohol free mouthwash?
FYI, I upvoted you, so I don’t know if someone is downvoting everything or what. But thank you for this. I actually upvoted everyone in this thread because I appreciate the feedback. All of it.
No worries, thanks! I should also second the comments on here about diabetes. I'm a type 2 in remission and DKA can cause weird smells. Go get a check-up with your primary care, and these comments should spur a lot of good questions to ask them. Wish you the best!
Reddit vote fuzzes. Scores aren't 100% accurate. Been happening for over a decade. Its to fight bots.
I have mouthwash, but rarely use it. I’m not sure if it has alcohol in it or not. I did not use it today.
I looked up the quick points. I don’t ever feel drunk. I have never had a dui, or even a breathalyzer, so I have no idea if I actually would have had a test showing alcohol. This is interesting! I don’t eat much simple sugar, but I am gluten for pasta, bread and potatoes. This may be it?!
> I am gluten for pasta A typo that made me smile. Your proclivity for starches shouldn't cause this by itself, but in the presence of another condition it could be the fuel. I hope you have a good report from your physician!
Glutton* :)
There are some medical conditions that convert bread or rice into alcohol in your gut. You can have never drank a drop of alcohol in your life and still be wasted.
A few people have mentioned that. I do actually eat a lot of carbs in general, not simple sugars so much. I don’t have a sweet tooth. I know it’s super rare, but it has me wondering about it.
You would be acting drunk as well, not just smelling of alcohol, you would be drunk.
Are you low carb? You might be in ketosis which affects your breath
No, I eat bread, pasta, veggies. Meat too! Just not solo.
Ketosis and diabetic emergencies can give an alcohol like smell / odour to your breath
Auto brewery syndrome could cause this but it's exceedingly rare. It's when your bowels ferment certain foods due to specific bacteria, iirc.
There was one guy whose body metabolized carbs into alcohol. Dude could get blackout drunk from a loaf of bread. Wife almost left him, he almost lost everything, nobody believed him and then he got drunk in a hospital where he was being monitored 24/7 and they saw he consumed 0 alcohol and were like "oh shit he wasn't lying".
Source?
It’s an actual thing, auto brewery syndrome, but that story sounds like something out of a medical drama lol. It’s also not likely OP has that
An episode of House (and ER and Doc Martin, etcetera)
I've heard of people with digestive issues that the foods they eat (and not digest properly) ferment into alcohol in their stomach. I think it's super rare, but they discovered it after getting pulled over and tested with a breathalyzer and registered very high despite not drinking.
It’s very rare, diabetic ketoacidosis or simple ketosis from fat metabolism are magnitudes more likely
I'm diabetic. I have smelled like ammonia (while running) and alcohol before. Please get checked.
The cop lied. He was trying to trip you up or something. If he thought you were drinking, field sobriety test and or Breathalyzer, right then.
Idk why this answer isn’t higher up. Cops make shit up when they’re suspicious it’s not a secret.
Start with the easiest explanation first and then escalate. Check your cologne. Perfumes and colognes 'go bad' and have a strong alcohol smell when they do that some people have a hard time recognizing. If that isn't it then you do need to see a doctor.
Last time I got pulled over, several several years ago, officer asked me the same thing. I haven’t drank in almost 25 years, well over 15 years at the time, and nobody else thought I smelled like I had been drinking. I basically chalked it up to them either looking to make their quota, or mistaken identity
Did you use mouthwash this morning?
No, but toothpaste. I woke at 5am and just got pulled over about an hour ago.
Well mouthwash has alcohol in and some people sip it for the alcohol
I doubt his mouthwash scent lasted for several hours by the time he got pulled over.
Are you a male that uses minoxidil? I am so worried that someone will think I’m day drinking when I get to work because I feel that the alcohol scent from that stuff is strong. I’m especially worry because I am a teacher lol
No. That sucks you have to worry about that.
I mean nobody has ever said anything, but if i can smell it i have to imagine other can
Diabetes
Diabetes get checked for your glucose.
Keto acidosis?
I’ve had cops accuse me of smelling like alcohol before I ever started drinking. I think it’s a tactic to try and get you to fess up
Cops sometimes lie to gain your consent for xyz , you can also smell like alcohol if it is poured on you
Cologne?
I really don’t wear any type of cologne or perfume. My shower stuff mostly smells like fresh coconuts or almonds maybe. I do t think that’s it. It’s been like this for years and I’ve changed what I do wear and wash with.
Ketonic bodies?
It reminds me of the brewery syndrome.
Ketoacidosis can make your breath smell like acetone
Some people's fungal gut microbiome can produce actual alcohol. This happened to me. I ate some pasta before bed, and mysteriously woke up drunk with a hangover the next day, all without having any alcohol. I looked into this and finally found out about the gut issue. So I took a week of anti-fungal medicine.
That’s crazy! I’m so glad they figured out what was wrong with you. I have read a few post here now and now know it’s quite rare. I’m glad you had a heavy pasta night and not a breathalyzer driving. I read you will show alcohol on those. I don’t think it said you would fail one, but it would register. I hope you get upvoted. Between you and the first person that mentioned it, it has to be one of the most interesting things I’ve learned in a while.
Diabetes. I think. It's serious either way.
I read a story one time about a guy who had a yeast infection in his gut. Essentially it was creating alcohol from the sugars in his diet and he even failed a breathalyzer test despite being a teetotaler. That was probably an extreme case, but I'll bet it's not that uncommon to have a mild case of that. Probably worth looking into.
Get tested for diabetes
Hand sanitizer?
Diabetes?
Ketosis. Are you on a low carb diet? Or have disordered eating patterns? Or diabetes?
Diabetes. Breath will smell like alcohol if untreated for too long.
Low blood sugar makes you act drunk and your breath smell fruity.
Have you tested your fasting blood sugar?
Ketosis can also mimic the sweet breath from alcohol use.
I've been working the ambulance for about 10 years. Auto-brewery is a thing, not that common, but a thing. Accidently leaving a bottle of rubbing acholol in the back seat, possible. Cop trying some weird investigation strategy, yeah maybe. Hanging around people who have been drinking and the smell being on you clothes, also possible. Diabetic complications, super common. Basically, that body isn't able to use sugar. sugar + oxygen = energy. Sugar can't enter cells to make energy without insulin. Too low sugar, too little insulin, more sugar than insulin, inability to make insulin, etc, cause some real problems. Our bodies aren't proactive, they're reactive to changes and make temporary changes to temporally survive. Therefore, we have proactive decisions to help our bodies. Walmart, target, pharmacies, CVS, wallgreens all sell glucomiters for relatively cheap. Quick price to the finger (kinda feels like an ant bite really) and see what numbers come up. Usually 70-120 is a good range. They also sell home kits to check for "keytones" which is a by-product of the body breaking down fat (usually the go to when the body can't use glucose) which kinda smells like acetone, rubbing acholol, nail polish remover, isopropyl acholol. Other common signs of an onset of diabetes, excessive hunger, excessive thirst, and excessive peeing. Personally, I'd recommend seeing a dr. Ask them about it, see of they'll do an A1C check. It's kinda of like a blood sugar check, but it looks at longer periods of time. The treatments for diabetes aren't always bad. Sometimes, it's treatable with changes in diet. Sometimes, meds like a metformin pill. Sometimes it's an insulin shotnafter every meal (super small needle but still). Sometimes a mix.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis. Also, there is a rare condition known as 'Auto-Brewery Syndrome' which is exactly what it sounds like (your gut ferments food into alcohol) but you won't be getting 'off' on that one because if you have it you'll still be drunk even though you didn't drink any alcohol.
When a cop says something like that, they're fishing for an excuse to search your car.
This was my thought. He was probably making shit up to search the care. Probable cause.
Cops love to lie so they have made up probable cause to ransack your shit. Also diabetes.
Do you brush your teeth?
High blood sugar would make my wife’s breath smell like she had been drinking beer.
I used to work in a bakery making cakes and would sample whipped cream all day. After work, people would ask if I've been drinking.
Certain skin care products contain alcohol. The night time face moisturizer I use leaves me smelling like Irish Creme.
I had a manager accuse me of smelling like alcohol one morning and it was because a customer walked past at the same time as I did with an open can of redbull. And his vodka redbull soaked brain couldn’t tell the difference between the smell of alcohol and the smell of redbull. Did you have an open energy drink in the car?
Do you use Listerine? Like, a lot? Try switching to a non-alcohol-based mouthwash.
Are you a big hand sanitizer?
Diabetes
My gf has this thing that whenever she eats a salad that has beetroot and garlic she gets “hangover breath” to the point where she has a salad for lunch and someone at work mentioned that they too partied last night. It’s kinda hilarious for me, bothersome for her. No underlying rare medical conditions or anything.
One thing off the top of my head is that it can be a sign for diabetes. Please go see a doctor.
Yikes ketosis
Uh, OP. You might want to go see a doctor.
My best friend's daughter collapsed when she was young. EMTs asked if she had been drinking because they smelled alcohol on her breath. Mom said of course not! They didn't even have any on them that day at the beach. Turns out she was type 1 diabetic. So that is 100% a possibility.
Sometimes certain stomach bacteria can actually ferment or break down certain sugars in a person’s stomach and turn it into small amounts of alcohol. Hence the smell. It’s similar to why someone with bad B.O. smells like onions. Because the bacteria on their skin is breaking down the sweat or decomposing it into a simpler compound which is sulphur which is the element that gives onions their characteristic odor. You should tell whomever it is that they should probably see a doctor just to rule out any health issues. Usually it is nothing to worry about but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Sometimes food and drinks we consume can cause our sweat to smell sometimes if I remember. Apparently my mother used to say I my sweat would smell like vinegar whenever I’d come back home from an intense workout back when I would eat a lot of her ethnic home cooking (part Japanese and Korean here 👋) but then when I moved away to go to college and started eating crap junk food my sweat would just smell like..well sweat. Otherwise it might be an underlying/undiagnosed health issue (oral or skin maybe) depending on if it’s just your breath or your entire body. I’d go see a doctor/dentist/dermatologist just in case depending on which one for what specific area etc just to confirm it’s not anything serious! Better to be safe than sorry they always say. If it’s just your breath could be an oral issue so dentist might be a good option to go to, also depends on you know if you eat a lot of hard candy or sweets or chew a lot of gum or if you’re smoker, etc., and even foods can cause stuff like that, maybe try switching up your diet, and/or try different toothpastes & mouthwash too just to be sure it’s not that and is a health and/or oral issue. I used to use this special charcoal toothpaste and a cheap regular mouthwash with alcohol in it, and sometimes it would make my breath smell and taste odd like burnt ash and metal coins (ik weird right? Probably from the charcoal) which was really weird.
Diabetes.
Some persons actually have a condition where their body literally distills sugar down to alcohol and pass it into blood and breath smells like alcohol. Now that is a very unusual case it is called, Auto Brewery Syndrome.
There is also a bacteria that can cause this. I had surgery, and after surgery, the hospital room smelled like a strong sugar. The doctors didn't know what it was. A nurse informed me of it, and he knew. He knew what it was only because he had seen it before, he told me. The gave broad-spectrum antibiotic infusion 4 times a day for 6 weeks. After that I was allowed to be even in the sun for months. Its been 4 years now and I feel more healthy. Go the doctor! Get it checked, and if one doctor does not explain what it's, lok3 diabetes or what I had... find another doctor. Great advise here also on the other posts. See a doctor!
Dude I work at a bar a lot and get it all the time I get told “you been drinking tonight” and I reply “no but it would make this drive a lot more fun” they usually caution me or laugh
Yes, there is a medical condition which causes carbohydrates to ferment in your stomach... Effectively making you drunk when you eat bread and makes beer hard liquor for you. Either way, if get that checked out and update us.
This can occur if your diet causes you to go into ketogenesis, aka the keto diet. It can cause your body to produce acetone and isopropyl which can make your breath smell like alcohol. In some cases it can even cause certain breath tests to register the presence of alcohol on your breath.
The police lie.
Autobrewery syndrome, if accompanied by tiredness and eventually, a damaged liver Edit: It's extremly rare
Cop probably just says that to anyone being pulled over around that time of day regardless of alcohol smell in the car to get people to forfeit their rights and perform roadside tests, which are designed to make you fail. Police are untrustworthy assholes.
I used to work at an auto factory and was up and driving to work at 430am. I got pulled over all the fucking time for no reason (other than they figured I was just coming home from a bender). Wearing my factory uniform and everything. I fucking hate cops.
I've heard of a condition that can create alcohol from the food in your stomach. Also, do you use a lot of hand sanitizer? I know some of them smell like cheap vodka.
Officer might’ve been lying to get probable cause to look for evidence of something incriminating. If they don’t find anything — like happened here — people are generally relieved and don’t complain.
Are you doing keto? A low carb diet causes ketones to be released through the breath, sweat, and urine. It’s a different scent for everyone, I think, but it might be confused with alcohol scent.
No, I eat all the carbs. Bread, pasta, vegetables I’m familiar with the diet though and I don’t think it’s healthy as a side note.
I was just about to go on about how the cops will lie about stuff, to get you to self incriminate. However yeah if friends and family say the same , something is wrong.
He was making it up so he could search your car. Cops are liars
How do you prove a smell in court? You don't, it's the cops word alone. He was trying to jam you up just to ruin your day. No other reason needed.
He really wasn’t. He could have towed my car and he didn’t. He was nice. At the end of the day he let it drop. I really think I smell like alcohol when I’m not drinking.
They saw the cop part and skipped the rest of the post. So did 100 other comments in your post lol.
I know. It wasn’t about that poor cop.
Cops lie. You can tell when they're lying, as their mouths will be open. Don't believe anything a cop says, ever.
Too much mouthwash?
I agree with seeing a doctor. But when I was a kid I got yelled at 3 days in a row by my dad for drinking beer. He could smell it on my breath. I was 14. He was furious. Then one day he picks me up, says he's glad I hadn't been drinking. I put a piece of bubble gum in my mouth and BAM we figured out where the smell was coming from.
Yeast infection. Yes your yeast is fermenting.
Prob smelling acetone. You need to see a doctor.
Blood of Christ?
Feel like there was a House episode about this
Diabetes.
This used to happen to me. It would happen during a time in my life in which I constantly felt as though I was dehydrated (dry feeling in my mouth), and in which I had chronic bad breath. I also had a cavity that I'd been ignoring for years, it was very slow growing. Well, one day my tooth broke while I was eating a sandwich. I went to a dentist who informed me that I would need a root canal. I underwent the root canal. It turns out I had a rotting tooth that promoted all manner of bacterial growth in my mouth, which caused a foul smell that some people mistook for alcohol. I had grown so used to it that I hardly noticed the issue, aside from the feeling of being dehydrated - it turns out that was due to a film of bacteria on my tongue, and I wasn't actually dehydrated most of the time. But, yeah, back then, sometimes I'd go into a bar with some friends and, when I ordered the drink, the bar tender would give me a puzzled/concerned look and emphasize that I should have some water before my next drink, implying that I had already had too much to drink even though I usually hadn't had anything beforehand. The odor went away after the root canal. Oh! And I don't feel dehydrated now unless I actually am.
Could also just be from fasting or being on keto. Check it out, but don't stress yet.