Colonial Era Views on the Effects of Alcohol Abuse

Pertaining to the use of alcoholic beverages during this time period, it appears that hard cider and ale, among others, were commonly used. It was customary to drink something of that sort with meals or at a tavern with other villagers, and it was believed to be a healthy endeavor. This was likely, at least partially, due to the fear of illness from drinking contaminated water.  It is also my understanding that they had not yet discovered that drinking alcohol to excess could cause violence in some people. They seemed to believe, rather, that those same people were just already inclined toward violence, and that the strong drink did not play a factor at all. So, making this something that Joe and Susannah understood during that era, as addressed in, was a liberty that I took with their story.