27-Year-Old Woman Dies After Drinking Alcohol On Empty Stomach
A rare complication of drinking alcohol on an empty stomach killed a woman, Alice Burton-Bradford, aged 27.
Friends say she was killed by alcoholic ketoacidosis, which typically affects heavy drinkers. However, it can also be triggered by drinking on an empty stomach.
Aaron Mulvay, 30, who had known Alice for eight years, said: “It was absolutely a horrible shock. No-one expected it at all.
“I had never even heard of alcoholic ketoacidosis until she died. We’re not sure how much she had been drinking that weekend, but she was not an alcoholic.
“She had not eaten enough and it had triggered an acid in her stomach.
“It was just so sudden – she didn’t even have to go to hospital, but had gone out into her garden and passed away there.”
Alice, whose family live in Cornwall, passed away in June at her home in Brighton.
Friends hope to erect a memorial bench on a clifftop where she regularly walked her beloved pet Lurcher Nesse.
A crowdfunding campaign for the bench has already raised almost £1,000.
Aaron added: “Alice loved going out but she was also such a health freak – she was a member of running clubs and really enjoyed cycling.
“During lockdown she was always taking her dog out for walks to the beach and running every day.
“None of us were able to go to Alice’s funeral so we want to put up a memorial to say our own goodbyes.
“We’d like to have it put on the cliffs where Alice used to walk her dog, or in a nice park as she loved wildlife.”
Aaron also wants to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking alcohol on an empty stomach.
Alcoholic ketoacidosis usually triggers nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain but can be fatal in rare cases.
He added: “I definitely believe there needs to be more information out there about the dangers of drinking when you have not eaten properly.
“Alice had so many friends and she will be dearly missed. It’s so tragic as she was such a young age.”
