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ELI5: Does drinking alcohol really prevent stomach issues from bad food/water?
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It's an old hiker's tale that if the water you drink is reasonably clean, but not perfectly up to scratch, drinking a small shot of strong spirits in the morning and evening prevents stomach upset.

I've heard a lot of anecdotes in support comparing travelers/hikers who did this to those who didn't, but it still sounds odd. To be clear, I'm not talking about preventing serious ilnesses, more like diarrhea and stomach ache to the point where it's inconvenient, but not dangerous.

Is there something to it? Is there a reason for all those anecdotes beyond confirmation bias?

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2 years ago