Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but there's plenty of evidence that they depend on these consumers, and they are certainly aware of them because alcohol companies h

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but there's plenty of evidence that they depend on these consumers, and they are certainly aware of them because alcohol companies have been known to engage in marketing activities. This is a broad overview: https://www.recoveryanswers.org/research-post/alcohol-sales-excessive-drinking/ https://www.recoveryanswers.org/research-post/alcohol-sales-... As you say, it is completely predictable that beverage companies would adapt to a Pareto-like distribution of consumption. However, unlike for things like books or outdoor equipment, adapting to a Pareto distribution here means that a company is intentionally profiting from addiction. This is an absolutely huge negative externality in terms of the social , health, and economic harm that alcohol addiction causes.