This little essay is an historical view on the subject of drinking alcohol. This week, my dear husband revealed that there were more deaths from tainted water during the Civil War than the Revolutionary War. Why? During the earlier war, the soldiers were given a ration of rum that was added directly to their drinking water in canteens. The rum sterilized the water, killing any harmful contaminants before they could cause disease! Moderation seems to be the key to keep the use of alcohol beneficial.

“Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink” was a little saying I learned as a child and repeated, over and over again, to my parents as we rode along in the car, much to their chagrin. Oh, my!

To drink or not to drink has been the subject of many a saying, many a law, many a jest, and many a song! During the 19th century, troubadours who supported the Temperance movement went about the countryside singing songs that decry the dangers of drinking alcoholic beverages. The lyrics of an English folksong are about child battering by a drunken father and eventually buying him a brewery. We have all known people who could not “hold their liquor.” We have all been aware of individuals who would sell their soul for another drink, who have plunged their families into despair and poverty because of their habit of imbibing, and whose lives have been overtaken because are addicted.

The dangers of drinking are well-known, yet constantly promoted in society. On television and in movies, drinking is romanticized. The elite are depicted as spending their time pouring cocktails and sipping on martinis. Televised sports events always seem to have many commercials for beer, as if drinking beer makes one “a real man.” Drinking, as a social event, is far removed from that glass of red wine some doctors recommend daily. (Of course, physicians don’t warn you that taking an aspirin a day or drinking even one glass of wine per day can cause a build-up of uric acid and arthritis of the joints called gout, a painful condition that involves swelling of toes, wrists, etc.).

The effects of out-of-control drinking (by “loved ones”) have been so disagreeable, many folks today like to avoid drinking alcohol altogether. Considering potential ill-effects of drinking, refraining is probably an ideal choice, and also a good idea for the preservation of the contents of one’s wallet. However, in another age, far from us time-wise, a little ration of rum stood between health and disease even though those of the time period had no sophisticated knowledge of the solid medical reasons for its use. As always History has lessons to teach us that are only learned in the long term, and, as always, there are two sides to any given issue.

Patricia Cummings

Water is often contaminated and can cause various diseases, sometimes with fatal results. Even that “clear mountain stream” may contain Giardia or other microorganisms that can cause severe GI symptoms. When I lived in Spain, I mostly drank wine, Coca-cola (with lemon), or milk. It is a wonder I did not become dehydrated or toothless. Pure water remains the best substance anyone could drink.

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