In the 1840s like in many other parts of America, people in Manayunk, Philadelphia used to engage in excessive alcohol use. During the time, widespread public drinking was a normal way of life. At the time, people usually did hard physical labor and used to drink even while working. It was common for some employers to pay their workers with drinks. Alcohol was regarded an important part of social functions including marriage ceremonies and even elections. People regarded it healthier to drink fermented or distilled beverages rather than water which effluents from industries usually contaminated. At some point, brewers even recommended mothers to give alcohol to their newborn babies.

The rampant alcohol use had adverse effects on families and the community of Manayunk in general. To start with, the widespread alcohol use led to increased abuse of women and children. At the time, society considered alcohol healthy; only drunkenness was considered bad. Therefore, the society was ignorant of the dangers excessive alcohol consumption had on their community, particularly its contribution to increased cases of assault and abuse of women and children (rape and battery were the most common forms of assault). Alcohol has since been found to exacerbate existing risk factors in perpetrator, victim, or both.

Alcohol use in the area also had adverse effects on the companies around the area. Many businesses reported lower productivity as many employees would miss out due to alcohol issues. In addition, the companies experienced a decline in quantity and quality of work due to frequent disruption of operations. Poor-decision-making in the workplace was also common because some worked while intoxicated or due to unqualified workers covering for those nursing hangovers. Operation costs for companies also increased due to frequent replacement of drunkard workers. Factory accidents were also common, particularly in businesses where workers had to operate heavy machinery.

Alcohol problems in the area also had a negative impact on families and households. Alcohol is known to not only affect the person who engages in the drinking act but also those close to him/her. In the 1840s, many men who engaged in heavy drinking failed to work which affected their families negatively as they were the breadwinners. Children were also psychologically affected as their drunken parents created a negative environment that inhibited their normal growth. Parents usually act as role models; thus, many children in Manayunk grew with parents who were heavy alcohol users. Due to this, most children would end being heavy alcohol users themselves.

The largest population of alcohol abusers in Manayunk was men. Often, women were left on their own to provide for their families as their men would spend their wages on alcohol or be hooked to alcohol to the extent of being fired from their jobs. Due to this, women began organizing themselves in groups to encourage alcohol abstinence. Women could not continue to watch as their husbands got lost in drinking dens; worse, their male children would also start engaging in alcohol abuse very early. In fact, it was common to find boys younger than 15 years who had already become addicted.

The many taverns and bars in the area aggravated the alcohol problems in Manayunk. In the late 1830s and early 1840s, many factories set base in Philadelphia, which attracted more workers to the area. As a result, brewers increased production of various alcoholic drinks. The rampant population growth sharpened economic disparities. Brewers made cheaper brews for the poor ensuring every individual could afford alcohol. During this time, Philadelphia had over 900 taverns, and the majority of them were located in Manayunk. These factors promoted alcohol binging culture that heightened immoral behavior in the locality and the rest of Philadelphia in general.