A mother who drank up to 20 cans of Red Bull a day for four years suffered such a lot of liver damage that doctors were convinced she was an alcoholic.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, Mary Allwood was consuming the equivalent of 17 Mars bars of sugar and 16 cups of coffee of caffeine.
The woman who spent more than £2,300 a year on the drinks, would stash the cans all over the house.
But last November, the 26-year-old was rushed to hospital in an ambulance after experiencing severe pain in her side.
At the hospital, an MRI scan revealed that her liver was twice the size it should be, leading doctors to believe she was an alcoholic.
The woman told doctors that she was a teetotaler, but admitted that she was addicted to energy drinks, reports the Daily Mail.
Prolonged intake of excessive alcohol can cause inflammation of the liver and may contribute to fibrosis, leading to cirrhosis (liver damage). But a diet laden with sugar can lead to build-up in the liver, which can cause it to become dramatically inflamed and develop scarring and lumps.
According to Daily Mail, five months ago, Ms Allwood gave up her addiction, and a test last week revealed that her liver is now back to normal.
Ms Allwood first tried the caffeine drink when was she was 22, in a bid to gain a bit more energy.
"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.
The full-time mother gradually got addicted to the drink. "I needed it and I didn't care at the time what damage it was doing to me", she says.
"I needed the taste and fizziness. 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.'
In addition to the liver damage, the woman's weight also shot up, and she even had an episode of heart palpitations a year after her habit began.
But learning of the extent of her liver damage was finally the wake up call that Ms Allwood needed, and she went on a meal-replacement diet, swapping her Red Bull for six and a half litres of water a day.
She initially experienced withdrawal symptoms for around a month - mood swings and shakes - but says she now no longer craves the drinks.
"It was really hard and there were times when I bought one, opened it, but I never drank it," she said.
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