2014 Sees Dramatic Increase in Alcohol Sales Already

Improving Economy Leading to Increasing Alcohol Sales, Drinking at Home

Year to year sales data comparisons found a substantial increase in alcohol consumption in the new year. This trend could possibly lead to worrisome consequences, especially when considering the potential problems that alcoholism and its side effects can cause.

The new report highlights a 6.27 percent increase in bottle sales from January 2013 to 2014, a trend linked to an improving economy and more people drinking at home and alone.

Why is drinking at home alone any more dangerous than drinking with friends in a bar? Experts point to the fact that alcoholics who drink solo are more likely to consume more alcohol. Also, if they become unresponsive after drinking too much there is no one around to help get them to a hospital.

Some consumer analysts think the increase is due to bad weather, assuming that more people are staying indoors because of the cold temperatures. But the charts have been steadily increasing for the past four years, according to online consumer and marketing report website IRI.com. Which means it’s not just a weather related trend and will most likely continue to increase.

Beer, wine and liquor sales have all increased compared to last year. It seems that more and more people are open to experimenting with new flavors as well, as reported by Anheuser-Busch InBev, who saw a steady demand for their newest margarita-flavored beer beverages.

Besides the improving economy, a likely cause for the increase could be that binge drinking habits have been on a reported rise as well. The definition of binge drinking is the consumption of more than five alcoholic beverages in one setting. It’s the most widely known way people use alcohol in the U.S., according the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. National surveys report that one in six Americans binge drink at least four times a month. The surveys also reported that 92 percent of adults reported binge drinking in the last 30 days.

The fact that an increase in alcohol sales could cause more incidents of binge drinking is concerning to healthcare professionals. Binge drinking has been linked to many severely dangerous side effects, including alcohol poisoning and infants born with fetal alcohol syndrome.