Mr Flynn is pleased with the growth of low and no alcohol alternatives
Sales of alcohol-free drinks has soared during the so-called Dry January period, landlords and brewers have said.
Tim Flynn, owner of the New Oxford Inn in Salford, said “more people than ever” were now opting for low-alcohol options, estimating demand was up 1000%.
Industry experts said it needed to adapt as “time and trends were changing”.
The news comes after government figures showed deaths from drinking too much were at a “record high” in England.
Stock change
Mr Flynn said that the Dry January challenge to take a month off alcohol after Christmas has seen his stock completely change over the years.
He added: “We now stock around nine, ten different non-alcoholic beers but years ago we used to only stock two.”
“[Sales] would be up maybe a thousand percent. You may have sold a case a week 10 to 15 years ago. Now you’re selling 35 to 40 cases a week.”
‘Staggering’
Stockport brewery Robinsons said it had seen “staggering” growth in low- and no-alcohol products – about 57% across all its pubs.
Dr Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, said: “More of us are connecting the dots between the alcohol we drink and the impact it has on our health, wellbeing and quality of life.
“From poor sleep, headaches and hangovers, to spending more money than we’d like or struggling to work, our research provides a strong picture of the reasons why so many of us are ready to rethink our relationship with alcohol.”