Greg wrote:

>By the way, weren't alcoholic beverages drunk for health reasons? Even
>today, drinking water is dangerous in much of the world.
>
>

My guess is they were drunk because there was no choice. Fruit juice,
even fruit on the vine, will ferment. And it's eat the fruit or go hungry.

Once people started eating and drinking the fermenting things, they
decided it was pretty neat.

Historians are divided as to whether it was desire for food or drink
that caused the nomads to settle down and develop agriculture.

Of course, soon after people started enjoying fermented products, other
people came around saying things like, "It's not good for you to eat
those fermented peaches! And it's not good for you to put the grapes in
a bucket, squeeze out the juice, and let it sit until it stops bubbling
before you drink it!"

So, the natural defense was, "When I drink the fermented juice, I don't
get sick as often as when I drink water!" And there as an element of,
"When I drink this stuff, you aren't as annoying."

Mike