Man in Serbia reportedly survived with more than 13 promille blood alcohol

A reported case in Serbia of a man who survived with more than 13 promille of alcohol in his blood has reignited concern about extreme alcohol poisoning and road safety in the region.

Doctors link survival to long-term heavy drinking; Guinness record cited

Medical professionals who commented on the incident said the man was a long-term heavy consumer of alcohol, which may have increased his physiological tolerance and allowed him to survive an amount that would be fatal for most people. The case has not been entered into the Guinness World Records; the official world record cited in reports refers to a Polish man who survived with a blood-alcohol level of more than 13 promille.

Experts emphasised that such figures should not be treated as “records” but as indicators of extreme, life‑threatening alcohol poisoning that can cause loss of consciousness, coma and death.

The reports also catalogue multiple recent traffic‑related incidents in Serbia involving extremely high blood‑alcohol concentrations. In Aleksinac police stopped a 46‑year‑old man riding a moped with about 3 promille. In Novi Bečej a 38‑year‑old cyclist was found riding with 4.1 promille, while in Surdulica an electric‑bike rider was stopped with 4.04 promille.

Other cases include a 58‑year‑old man in Niš injured in a traffic crash with more than 4 promille; a 75‑year‑old driver stopped in Surdulica at the end of 2025 with 4.38 promille while driving a Peugeot; a Škoda driver found inside his car in Prijepolje with nearly 4 promille and arrested; and, a year ago in Zrenjanin, a Ford driver recorded 3.86 promille.

Authorities and medical specialists repeatedly warn that excessive drinking—and especially driving afterwards—greatly increases the risk of serious injury and death, and that those high concentrations dramatically impair consciousness, coordination and reaction times.

Photo: МВР / илустрација