Man endured horrific four-week hangover after drinking too much

A 37-year-old man has laid claim to having experienced the world’s longest hangover after drinking 60 pints of beer.

If you’ve ever experienced a hangover, the words ‘I’m never drinking again’ have likely passed your lips.

A heavy night might spread its effects over a couple of days, especially if you’re over 30, but one man’s binge-drinking episode saw him endure a full month of hangover symptoms.

The man presented in hospital with a headache and vision problems (Kinga Krzeminska/Getty Images)

34 litres of beer, or 60 pints, would surely be enough to put an elephant under the table, not that consuming beer to such excess is anything to celebrate.

If the threat of a month-long hangover wasn’t enough: absolutely do not try this at home.

The man had a clean medical record when he turned up to a Scottish hospital in 2006, according to a study published in The Lancet. He presented with blurred vision and a persistent headache, with both symptoms lasting for four weeks.

He was ‘fully alert’, a CT scan failed to find any anomalies, and his blood pressure and body temperature came back normal as well.

Investigations moved on to a spinal tap, revealing a lot of pressure that had built up around the patient’s brain.

Further blood tests found that he may have been suffering from lupus anticoagulant syndrome, a rare autoimmune condition that sees the body’s defences attack its own healthy cells.

A visit from an eye specialist found bleeding nerve fibres and swollen optic nerves, with the doctor in question determining that the effects had been caused by alcohol overconsumption.

The patient then admitted to drinking continuously over several days before he began experiencing the month-long symptoms. He had turned to the drink after a ‘domestic crisis’.

An eye specialist found that the man's optic nerves had swollen ( SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images)

It took six months before the headache and poor eyesight passed. He was administered anticoagulation treatment over this period.

By July 2007, the man had recovered and had hopefully developed a clearer picture of what alcohol abuse can do to your body.

It’s important to keep tabs on your drinking and to drink responsibly. If you want to discuss the issues raised here, or anything else relating to alcohol use, speak in confidence with the experts at Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm on weekdays and 11am–4pm on weekends.

Topics: Alcohol, Health