Can a Muslim drink alcohol or medicinal purposes, if it is really helpful?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

If by alcohol you mean wine, it is forbidden to drink it for treatment. The evidence for this is the Hadeeth reported by Muslim that Taariq ibn Suwayd Al-Ju’fi asked the Prophet about wine. The Prophet told him not to use it or make it. Taariq said: “I make it for the purpose of treatment.” The Prophet replied: “It is not a treatment. It is rather an illness.”

So, the majority of the scholars are of the opinion that it is forbidden to use wine as a treatment, regardless of the quantity being used or made.

For more benefit on the prohibition of alcohol in Islam, please refer to Fataawa 81900 and 81389.

Allah knows best.