A History of the Different Uses of Alcohol

Dating back centuries, even as far back as the Egyptians, alcohol has been mentioned and been used in society for different purposes. The most notable purpose for alcohol consumption is the social aspect of it, which most of us are very familiar with, but there are some other contexts in which alcohol is used and has been used in the past.

1. Alcohol as a Form of Nutrition:

In the early days, many people consumed alcohol daily in the form of fermented honey, called "mead". In those times, alcohol was seen to have a more dietary purpose than now. As such, mead was consumed with every meal, and even children were drinking it! It was not just a drink for adults, but children!

Wine was also another form of alcohol that was popular in past history and considered to have dietary value. Drinking alcohol with meals was the norm, and this is something that was strongly encouraged for health and dietary reasons. The flush-faced children and adults in paintings of the past are a representation of the effects of daily alcohol consumption. As it was seen as a more important beverage than even water, people had naturally red and flush faces from the extreme amounts of alcohol they would consume every day.

In fact, alcohol was so popular in the dietary sense that it was consumed in place of water. Water contained bacteria and agents that could make people very sick, and since modern medicine was not advanced enough to treat a lot of water-born illnesses, mead or wine were the drinks of choice for the nutrients obtained from the beverage in daily use, and its antiseptic effects, preventing the spread of water born illnesses.

In society today, we don't refer to alcohol as having much nutritional or dietary value, but there is the old saying about drinking a glass of wine with dinner. One glass of wine with your dinner to improve heart health each day is what scientists have claimed throughout the decades. So, this is perhaps the one aspect of nutrition that we still reference today relating to alcohol consumption.

Ceremonial and Religious Uses:

Alcohol has been used for centuries in religious ceremonies and rituals. In many faiths, alcohol was seen to have some kind of mystical or magical power even. For instance, in Christian faith, wine is seen as the "blood of Christ". Earlier centuries suggest that this holy wine was also believed to evoke religious enlightenment, and intoxication was encouraged. Many civilizations saw alcohol as a gift from their higher Power, and as such they would drink and consume alcohol for all of the benefits of the "gift", hoping for enlightenment and transformation.

Today, this is far less the case, although we still see alcohol used in religious traditional settings that date back to these times. Modern society does not revel in the effects of alcohol consumption, and they believe that this intoxication is a spiritual awakening. The scientific impacts of alcohol consumption, along with the psychological impacts, continue to hold much weight and symbolism in our society today.

Health Care Uses:

Lastly, alcohol has also been used throughout history as an antiseptic agent capable of curing the ill. When we think about alcohol in health care, the first thing you probably think of is rubbing alcohol. In addition to this, alcohol has been used in mouthwashes, and hand sanitizers, cough medicines, and other forms of medicine throughout the centuries to help treat the ill. This form of alcohol is not able to be consumed without serious health risks because it is at a much higher proof than alcohol meant for consumption. Rubbing alcohol itself is 140 proof. Cough medicines containing alcohol were higher proof but safe for consumption. Throughout history, alcohol has had some very important applications in the health field and it is still used in modern medicine today for its antiseptic qualities.

Alcohol is a substance that has been marveled at, enjoyed, and used for many centuries throughout history in many different ways. Alcohol is considered first and foremost a social substance, where people gather and drink together in social environments. This has contributed to a large part of culture throughout the world, as drinking together at social gatherings is one of the larger traditions that ties many countries in the world together.

Additionally, alcohol in earlier centuries was seen to hold dietary and nutritional value, and it was encouraged to drink alcohol all day with each meal. In fact, alcohol was consumed more than water in very early days because of water-borne illnesses.

Religions around the world have used alcohol in ceremonies and traditions as a symbol of their higher power, as well as the belief that religious enlightenment could be achieved through consumption of alcohol. Lastly, alcohol has played a pivotal role in the advancements of health care throughout the years, making it one of the most popular antiseptic agents used in doctors' offices and hospitals. Higher proof alcohol, as well as alcohol in cough syrups led more doctors to be able to treat a variety of illnesses. Today, alcohol is still used in rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizers, and other antiseptics to prevent the spread of germs.

Alcohol is an important part of history and society as a whole and has given our world many benefits that we would not otherwise have. As such, alcohol is an important substance to not be forgotten when examining substances and their impacts on society.