UK Edition
Red Bull addict who drank 20 cans a day had liver so damaged doctors thought she was an alcoholic
A mother from Devon has had to kick her Red Bull habit after her addiction to the energy drink left her with a liver twice the size it should have been.
Mary Allwood, 26, was drinking the equivalent of 16 Mars Bars in sugar daily and as much caffeine found in 17 cups of coffee.
She damaged her liver so badly, doctors thought she was an alcoholic.
Ms. Allwood would stash the cans all over the house and spent nearly £2,300 a year on the drinks.
She was forced to face her addiction when she was admitted to hospital with severe pain.
An MRI scan revealed the damage the sugar had done to her liver.
Worried doctors thought she was an alcoholic - until she revealed her Red Bull addiction.
Five months ago, she went 'cold turkey', and a test last week showed her liver is back to normal.
She said: "I needed it and I didn't care at the time what damage it was doing to me.
"If I didn't get my fix I would be miserable and grumpy and it just wasn't an option - I would make sure I got it.
"At first I would feel as if it would give me a buzz and energy, but eventually it wouldn't give me energy - I just needed it.
"I needed the taste and fizzyness. It was my heroin. I would feel awful if I didn't have it.
"Now the thought that anyone can go to the shops and buy it makes me so worried. I think it should be treated as if it is alcohol and cigarettes."
She initially started drinking it at age 22, in order to get more energy.
This worked for a few months, but she relied on having more and more until she was drinking 20 cans a day.
Ms. Allwood drank two as soon as she woke up, then continued throughout the day.
"If I didn't have any in the fridge I would walk to the shop and get two," she revealed.
"I'd drink the first one in three sips, and then try and make the second one last longer.
"I would go to the supermarket and get 10 multipacks at a time. I'd tell the person at the till that I had a restaurant and was buying them for that reason."
She went from a size 16 to a size 24 - but after she tackled her addiction, she managed to lose the weight.
Ms. Allwood swapped her Red Bulls for water, and at first experienced withdrawal symptoms including mood changes and shakes, but is now back to normal.
"It was really hard and there were times when I bought one, opened it, but I never drank it," she said
"I tried a drop on my tongue and it tasted like pure sugar. I'll never go back to how I was now.
"Now I think the rules should be changed and it should be treated in a similar way to cigarettes, with the blank packaging."