‘Ticking time bomb’ consequences of drinking 20 Guinness pints like Ricky Hatton
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Ricky Hatton once sank 20 pints of Guinness a day to numb the pain of hanging up his gloves.
The former world champion boxer made the startling admission during an exclusive interview with the Daily Star.
Speaking about his drug-fuelled binges, he said: “I took cocaine – I was taking a line to keep me drinking.
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“I would be drinking from 12 in the afternoon to four in the morning.
“I started to get a little bit bloated because I was a Guinness drinker. I would do 20 pints of Guinness all day long. And I was having bits of lines here and there to keep me going.”
It doesn’t take a genius to conclude that guzzling so much of the black stuff would have you bladdered.
But we spoke to experts to learn what would actually happen to your body if you consumed so much Guinness and whether the impacts could be long term.
Heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia, tuberculosis, multi-system failure and even death were just some of the potential outcomes.
Doctor Veronika Matutyte told us: “The consumption of 20 pints of Guinness daily goes beyond unhealthy… it's a ticking time bomb with life-altering or fatal consequences.
“If you or anyone you know is ingesting anywhere near 20 pints of Guinness daily, it's beyond a lifestyle choice, it's an immediate medical crisis. Traditional outpatient interventions might be too late at this stage.
“Hospitalisation for medical detoxification to manage potentially life-threatening withdrawal symptoms, along with aggressive pharmacotherapy, may be needed. The road to recovery will be long and fraught with challenges, including addressing any underlying psychological issues through psychotherapy.”
Doctor and clinical nutritionist Evelina Sabonaityte added: “Drinking up to 20 pints of Guinness a day is so dangerous. We're not just talking about simple liver failure or heart disease, we're venturing into the realm of multi-system failure where each organ's dysfunction aggravates the others.
“Consuming 20 pints of Guinness daily isn't just unsustainable; it's a biological cataclysm, a multi-system meltdown that requires immediate, aggressive, and sustained intervention.
“This is far beyond the realm of unhealthy habits, it's a life-and-death crisis that's setting the stage for a tragic finale if left unaddressed.”
Addressing the risk of pneumonia, she continued: “The impairment of your gag reflex and the danger of aspirating vomit into your lungs can lead to a particularly grim form of pneumonia, which is challenging to treat and often leads to further hospital complications. It's not a stretch to say that with 20 pints a day, every single swallow becomes a gamble.”
The former fighter is being immortalised in his new Sky documentary Hatton.
And speaking to us, the 44-year-old, whose son Campbell is now a pro boxer, explained how taking cocaine would help him down so many pints.
According to another expert we spoke to, using cocaine in this way can give you the ability to drink more.
However, Superintendent Pharmacist at FeelGut.co.uk, Hussain Abdeh, also warned that such a combination can result in death.
He said: “Drinking 20 pints of Guinness daily suddenly becomes more sustainable when cocaine is thrown into the mix. Cocaine can mask some of the depressant effects of alcohol, making you feel more awake and alert than you actually are.
“This can lead to a false sense of sobriety, causing you to underestimate how drunk you actually are. The use of cocaine can allow for larger volumes to be consumed over a much longer time period. However, the risks of combining the two can be somewhat life-threatening.”
Speaking scientifically about Hatton’s favourite tipple, Dr Matutyte added: “If we consider 20 pints of Guinness, we're talking about approximately 210 grams of pure alcohol daily. The liver can metabolise only about 7 to 14 grams of alcohol per hour.
“This creates a backlog of unprocessed alcohol flowing through your blood, leading to intoxication and acute alcohol toxicity.
“The overload would quickly overwhelm your liver's ability to regenerate, putting you at immediate risk for hepatic encephalopathy – a condition where liver dysfunction leads to a build-up of toxins affecting brain function, causing confusion and even coma.
“Guinness is rich in kilocalories. A chronic intake could skyrocket your triglyceride levels, contributing to atherosclerosis, an arterial condition that elevates the risk of heart attacks and strokes.”
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