Misc question abiut alcohol and dehydration

[burn out]

so all the alcohol ive ever drank has dehydrated, even beer that was only 4% alcohol stil dehydrated me. My question is, why do you read in history books that before people had ways to clean water, "it was safer to drink beer" as if that was actually a viable alternative? I mean, I recall reading in my history book that on the voyage of the Mayflower the water was contaminated so even the kids drank beer. At the time I was just a kid so I didnt question it. But now I know better and I dont get it. You cant drink beer to avoid contamimnated water because beer dehydrates you, requiring you to drink even more contaminated water than if you hadnt had the beer. Now obviously this is fictional but in the Narnia book the voyage of the dawn tredder when they run out of water, they DON'T drink their wine because they know it will make them even thirstier. Why isn't this true in real life?

The only way I can imagine this working would be if the alcohol content was so astonishingly low that it somehow stopped acting as a diuretic but how low would it have to be? like 1%? And if that were the case then, not only would it not really be noteworthy that kids were drinking it, but I would also question why it would be any safer than the water since beer actually spoils pretty easily you need water to make beer. Very low levels of alcohol don't do much to kill bacteria, and wouldn't boiling water make it safer than beer? In other words, woudl there ever be a situation where you could hydrate yourself with alcoholic drinks due to having contaminated water? It makes no sense to me.

ps: why is there no alcohol prefix? its one of the most popular drugs ever

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Wikipedia says:

Early Modern Period: It is important to note that modern beer is much stronger than the beers of the past. While current beers are 4-6% alcohol, the beer drunk in the historical past was generally around 1% alcohol. This was drunk instead of water which was prone to carrying disease.

Colonial America: The Puritans brought more beer than water on the Mayflower as they departed for the New World. While this may seem strange, it should be understood that drinking wine and beer at that time was considered safer than water - which was usually taken from sources used to dispose of sewerage and garbage. Their experience had shown them that it was safer to drink beverages containing alcohol than the typically polluted water in Europe. Alcohol was also an effective analgesic, provided energy necessary for hard work, and generally enhanced the quality of life.

During those times it wasn't always that easy to boil water. Perhaps the water used to make the beer/wine was generally better quality, or they were able to boil it before making the beer, which could then be stored for a long time, taken on trips/voyages, etc. You're right that 1% alcohol should not be enough to sterilize liquid, but perhaps it keeps more bacteria from growing or something? Hops does act as a preservative.

Another site says:

Beer has been brewed for thousands of years and the majority of this brewing was done before anyone knew about germs or sanitation. Sometimes the beer was good and sometimes it wasn't. Over time, brewers learned which practices seemed to make good beer, and these practices became ritual.

So it seems like even though people at the time didn't understand about bacteria, they did understand how to make beer that would not spoil and they must have noticed that when people drank the water they had available they got sick but when they drank beer they were less likely to. As for wine, it doesn't even contain water, so that would eliminate potential contamination via the water.

As for the dehydration aspect, perhaps the lower-alcohol beer of the past was not enough of a diurectic to cause serious dehydration. This article, discussing a study where beer was used to re-hydrate after exercise, says:

Alcohol is widely known to be a diuretic, which increases urine output which can in and of itself lead to dehydration. Because beer contains alcohol, consuming beer after a strenuous workout may seem like a bad idea. However, it is important to note that subjects in this study were given only a pint of beer after exercise and it is possible that the concentration of alcohol was not great enough to exacerbate dehydration.

Aside from the fluid that beer provides, the bubbles created by the beer's carbonation may be key in helping quench the thirst more quickly and push fluids through the system more readily than water alone.

Along with containing a lot of water, beer also contains vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes which help combat and alleviate dehydration after exercise. The carbohydrates in beer may help replenish lost calories and may increase energy after exercise.