September 7, 2019 - 15:22 AMT
Millennials drinking more so they can deal with their kids

A booze behemoth says millennials are drinking alcohol at an increasing rate thanks to a stressful new addition to their generation: children, The New York Post reports.

Constellation Brands Inc. — which owns parent-popular brands such as Corona and Mondavi — reports that the average millennial consumed about 24 drinks a month in 2013, back when they were young and wild and free. But this year? They’re up to 29 drinks a month on average.

The company’s CEO David Klein shared the stat during an interview at the Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference in Boston after an analyst suggested the rise in booze consumption could have something to do with the fact that millennials have kids now.

“Well, I think that’s exactly the answer,” Klein said, according to transcripts from the event. “And what we don’t know though, is: Will we see that same thing with Gen Z as they age, will life get more stressful for them, and they drink a little more? But it’s too early to tell, but we definitely have seen that with millennials.”

While surely the increase has benefited Klein’s pockets, it’s become dire for some millennial parents. Addiction experts report seeing more and more parents come in for treatment — especially mothers — as they turn to the bottle to cope with the stress of raising children, having a career and taking care of the household.