Real-Life Vampires Drink Blood To Sustain Survival

Believe it or not, there is actually a group of 5,000 vampires in the U.S. who drink human and animal blood to sustain survival.

The Atlanta Vampire Alliance is a real organization for those who practice Vampirism and are generally interested to learn more about their community.

Those who join the alliance are normal people you would encounter in everyday life — husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers. Vampire expert John Edgar Browning told The Washington Post that he spent five years studying the community and made these observations.

The vampires "feed" on blood by drinking it from a donor. The donors are usually close friends who willingly donate their blood, Browning explained to The Washington Post. The vampires told him that they feel a surge of energy when they drink blood and cannot explain exactly why they need to drink it.

"One scary moment was when I was admitted to ER for having a low heart rate that would jump up to 160 when I stood up, or walked around, followed by a massive migraine, and often losing consciousness," Kinesia, a vampire, told the BBC. "Basically, my heart was working extra hard to keep everything functioning — a reaction, I believe, to about four months without feeding."