This question was inspired by watching one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies; particularly where Jack Sparrow allegedly survives on a desert island by finding an unlimited supply of rum. I've heard alcoholic drinks dehydrate you more than hydrate you, so this seems like an unsustainable strategy.
My question is threefold.
- How long can a human survive by drinking hard liquor (40% alcohol by volume) for their sole water intake (ignoring food)?
- If it's unsustainable, what will finally take you down?
- If the hard-liquor approach isn't viable, what % alcohol can keep you hydrated (beer, wine, etc.)?
Related:
1. Question on dehydration studies
2. Question on what dehydrates
Answer
I commented above that it will depend heavily on at what pace you drink your rum, but in short, no, no you cannot. If you do it quickly, you'll die of alcohol poisoning, and if you drink it slowly, you'll probably die of dehydration[1].
io9 summed up some research a few years ago, the majority of which is largely bunk. One study (ncbi, free pdf) however, from 1996, claimed to find that:
These results suggest that alcohol has a negligible diuretic effect when consumed in dilute solution after a moderate level of hypohydration induced by exercise in the heat. There appears to be no difference in recovery from dehydration whether the rehydration beverage is alcohol free or contains up to 2% alcohol, but drinks containing 4% alcohol tend to delay the recovery process.
So stick to (American) beer.
Sidenote: In Belgium, they divide their (truly excellent) beer into two categories: special, which are stronger and often bottled, and thirst-quenching, which have a lower alcohol content and are often had with lunch.
[1]: Citation: Personal experience and the story of Johnny Tarr.
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