To paraphrase one of the great philosophers of our time: Alcohol is the solution to all of life's problems. It's a sentiment Outside writer Susan Casey appears to agree with. In a piece on putting together a first-aid kit for all manner of adventures, Casey surprisingly calls a flask of vodka "the best addition I've made to my ready-for-anything list." She calls the liquor "wildly useful," noting it can be used as an anesthetic, a disinfectant, and an antimicrobial—and makes a mean martini for drinking around the campfire. "It can clean a cut, prevent infection, and de-stress the patient all at once," Casey writes.
Here are just a few of the uses Casey notes while singing vodka's praises:
- Treat poison ivy.
- Treat a jellyfish sting.
- Sterilize a needle.
- Treat an ear infection.
- Use as hand sanitizer.
- Start a fire with it.
- Gargle for a sore throat.
- Use in a hot toddy to cure jet lag.
- Put it on your forehead to lower a fever.
- Heal blisters on your feet.
- Put it under your nose to block out stinky companions.
- Kill a fish by pouring it on the gills.
- Mist some into the air to keep away mosquitoes.
- Take a few shots to kill bacterial invaders after eating something questionable (though "there may be zero medical evidence this works").
For more on why vodka is a "first-aid kit essential," read Casey's full piece
here. (More
vodka stories.)
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