Heavy drinkers keep the alcohol industry afloat

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Here’s a sobering fact: about a fifth of American adults drink 15 or more alcoholic beverages a week. That’s roughly 20 percent of drinkers, yet they account for nearly 90 percent of alcohol sales, which is huge business for beer, wine and spirits companies. Some call alcohol “delicious poison”, fully aware it can be addictive and harmful, and experts say these heavy drinkers are key to the industry’s profits.

Now regulators are reconsidering the safe drinking guidelines and even putting health warnings on bottles. Faced with declining sales, driven by health consciousness, cannabis legalisation and popular weight-loss drugs, alcohol companies fear losing these loyal customers. Some big brands are feeling the impact, with plummeting sales and staff cuts.