They’re not saying it so I will. Alcohol was the reason for agriculture. Efficient hunter gatherers needed a powerful motivation to stay put and buckle down.
How beer saved (actually created) the world
Breadmaking and brewing beer have always gone hand in hand. Everyone who makes sourdough bread knows that it you leave the sourdough starter undisturbed for long enough, a clear-ish, watery liquid will form on top. And it's not for nothing that this liquid is referred to as "liquor."
Sourdough starter is simply a form of wild yeast. And yeast is a fungus that eats carbs and poops CO2 and C2H5OH (ethanol). If you manage the yeast one way it makes mostly CO2, which causes your bread to rise and adds a pleasant flavor. But manage it another and the yeast makes mostly ethanol.
So originally it was a twofer, you got "the staff of life" (i.e., bread) and a beverage that was both nutritious (early beer was a thick, soupy stuff) and safer source of hydration.
But watch the video I linked to to get a fuller appreciation of the importance of beer in human history.