The alcohol industry is hooked on its heaviest drinkers

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A fifth of adults account for an estimated 90% of alcohol sales volumes in the U.S., according to a Bernstein analysis. Most ads for liquor or beer include a reminder to “drink responsibly." Still, the alcohol industry depends on people who drink more than public-health officials say is safe.

A fifth of adults account for an estimated 90% of alcohol sales volumes in the U.S., according to an analysis published in 2023 by equity research firm Bernstein. “Heavier drinkers are obviously where the money is," said Philip Cook, a professor emeritus at Duke University whose 2007 book, “Paying the Tab," was among the scientific studies analyzed by Bernstein. That dependence has become a greater risk to companies as the U.S.

government considers putting cancer warnings on alcohol packaging and lowering the recommended limit of drinks a day that people can safely consume. The industry’s sales are declining because of consumer health concerns, expanding legalization of cannabis, the use of GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, and a generational shift toward less alcohol consumption. That leaves beer, wine and spirits companies more reliant on people like Kevin Turner.

“People know alcohol is bad for you, that it can be addictive. People understand that," said Turner, 39 years old, of Orlando, Fla. “It is poison.

It is delicious poison, but it is absolutely poison." On weeknights, Turner enjoys a couple of glasses of liquor from his home bar, which includes a dozen Scotches, as well as other whiskeys, bourbons, rums, gins and liqueurs. On weekend evenings, he often meets up with friends at a local bar for three or four beers. Turner, a former smoker, said he is confident he could stop drinking if he