From the Publisher
This book will change your organization and all who work in it for the better. Drinking deeply on its words will help you realize the truth about the harm that alcohol can do to companies and employees. This book is both life-enhancing and company-saving. - Sir Anthony Seldon, author, educator, and cofounder of Action for Happiness
This is a much-needed book. Tabbin challenges the alcohol-centric culture that still prevails in many workplaces and points out what a high price we are paying, both economically and in human terms. There is a deep irony that businesses encourage their employees to drink, in the interests of bonding and building relationships, but when, as is inevitable with an addictive substance, some of those employees become addicted to it, they are shunned. The western world is facing something of a crisis in mental health, and alcohol is a contributory factor in this. I completely agree with Tabbin when she calls for alcohol awareness to be included in Wellbeing and Stress Management programmes and for those who become addicted to alcohol to be treated with compassion and not stigmatized. The sooner we can stop Alcohol Use Disorder being a taboo subject in the workplace, the better for all of us. I urge you to read this book, and assess and change your own corporate culture, so that your business and your employees can thrive. - Annie Grace, founder of This Naked Mind, and author of This Naked Mind – Control Alcohol – find freedom, discover happiness and change your life and The Alcohol Experiment and co-author (with William Porter) of This Naked Mind – Nicotine – the proven science-based method to quit smoking and vaping
Tabbin Almond provides a thought-provoking and practical guide that will be relevant to anyone who is an employer or employed. It sets out a long overdue agenda for change to a culture that I have personally witnessed throughout my working career. From my time at medical school through to international conferences, or even dinners in the Palace of Westminster, the content of this book sadly resonates with behaviour for which I have not only been a willing participant but also regrettably a cheer leader. This did not end well for me. I now count myself now among a rising tide of people who, like the author, feel that we urgently need more recognition of the problems that alcohol can cause and compassion for those who, through no fault of their own, have developed issues with controlling their consumption. A good starting point is the workplace. - Professor Charles Knowles, Queen Mary University of London, author of Why We Drink Too Much
Comprehensively researched and engagingly written, Tabbin cuts to the heart of the economic and moral arguments for why many employers should re-evaluate their alcohol cultures. The blend of personal stories, expert analysis, and depth of evidence provides a useful toolkit for companies that want to improve workplace productivity while supporting the health of their employees. - Dr Katherine Severi, Chief Executive, Institute of Alcohol Studies
Working as a consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist in the NHS has left me in no doubt about the devastating consequences of alcohol dependence on the lives of patients and their families. Tabbin Almond’s book Bottling up Trouble is compelling and essential reading for all employers with an interest in the productivity and wellbeing of their workforce. Its publication comes not a moment too soon given the 32.8% increase in alcohol-related deaths since the Covid pandemic. In her punchy readable style, drawing on her personal and professional experience Tabbin takes the reader on a journey through the causes and consequences of dependent alcohol use, its impact on productivity at work, the working culture that promotes drinking and stigmatizes the drinker culminating in a Charter for Change detailing how employers can embed help with problem drinking in the wellbeing programmes in their organization. I can only congratulate Tabbin for this courageous, authoritative, and important contribution, tackling an issue of national importance. - Dr C. Susan Mizen, Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy
Bottling Up Trouble is an important book that shines a light on an issue rarely discussed. For years, many aspects of the media industry have glorified alcohol consumption as a way of social bonding, stress release, of celebrating or team building. In itself, and in moderation, this should not be an issue. However, when it is coupled with pressure to be involved or a badge of honour to have done in excess, it can become a problem.
My career has been in media research and therefore not in the heart of the agency/client world but even as a senior practitioner I still felt the social anxiety of leaving evening events early, felt the social exclusion of not being privy to the drunken antics of the night before, or part of the gang as clearly hung-over colleagues took to the podium the next morning. However, the key issue that this book exposes is the cost of this culture when things go wrong.
Whilst there is a fond acceptance of alcohol fuelled high jinks, when it tips into a regular habit and then an addiction, it is a different matter. In these situations, the mood changes and it is more the individual’s character that comes into question – their ability to cope, the standards of their work, their suitability as an ambassador for the company. Whilst I am sure that many companies will have their own corporate support and wellbeing policies, and many will provide comprehensive health insurance, I have seen little evidence of industry or corporate responsibility. Which leads me back to the importance of this book for not only providing a clear and pragmatic strategy for how individuals and companies can help get through this situation, but also, and equally importantly, how they can put things in place to avoid them happening in the first place. This involves a cultural change that cannot take place over night.
The good news is that the substantial research undertaken in this field for the younger generation of workers – especially the Gen Zs – indicates that younger people are drinking less since the pandemic and, more importantly, that they feel no judgement from their peers when not drinking. It seems that there is a combination of factors for this – ranging from financial (they simply can’t afford it), to greater awareness of the impact on mental health (particularly in a post-pandemic world), to the fear of their behaviour being recorded and played back on social media. The research suggests that they increasingly associate being drunk with feelings of vulnerability and anxiety. Whilst this gives us grounds for hope, it should not allow for complacency. Tabbin’s book is a must read for all corporations who need to understand the potential harm of any culture that glorifies alcohol to achieve their own goals, whilst stigmatizes those who fall at a wayside. - Liz Landy, Global CEO, Audience Measurement, Ipsos
As a young journalist, I considered that booze (much of it free) was part of the job. This thought-provoking book has opened my eyes to the downside of the laissez-faire attitude to all this free alcohol. Tabbin draws attention to the many ways in which the boozy culture of workplaces is harming society. It will strike a chord with the growing number of people who are questioning the role of alcohol in society, and it provides practical advice on how we can improve things. - Mike Carter, author of three books, including the best-selling One Man and His Bike, and freelance journalist writing for The Guardian, The Observer and The Financial Times, among others
Bottling Up Trouble is refreshingly optimistic. It doesn’t just push at an open door but smashes through it. Anyone running a business or sports team should embrace it. It provides a roadmap to reframe beliefs to everyone’s benefit. - Jeremy Cowdrey, Vice President, Kent County Cricket Club
This is such an interesting and thought-provoking read. Tabbin highlights the way that alcohol has had a free pass in society and how good it would be if we could change that. - Sue Cleaver, Coronation Street actor and Loose Women presenter
This book is impactful because it’s written from someone who has experienced the issues that are described and has walked the path that you may be facing. Or that you want a colleague to consider.
Everyone in a business has a role to play in ensuring that their colleagues thrive. For management that’s not in a controlling or mandatory way but in a sensitive and thoughtful approach that recognizes that work is life and life is work. We spend so much of our time at work – sometimes not even in a physical sense but quite often it’s on our mind – that we need to acknowledge that we have a partnership with people. We can’t address all the issues our colleagues face, but we can support and enable them to handle them. There is evidence that younger generations are turning away from alcohol. That doesn’t mean that in a few years there will be no more issues around alcohol consumption. There will always be a situation where alcohol isn’t a part of someone’s life, it has become their life. Even if the numbers are eventually much smaller, we still have a role to play in enabling people with an issue around alcohol to come to terms with their situation and playing our role in the recovery. As managers, as colleagues, as fellow human beings, we have a role to play in ensuring that people thrive.
In the interim, let’s look at the role that alcohol plays in the ways that we work – do you go to the pub after work to celebrate success? This isn’t just an issue for people with issues around alcohol, it’s an issue for anyone with caring duties or whose belief system doesn’t include alcohol. Or for people who find crowds and noise difficult (or in my case, just want to be able to sit down!). So, let’s rethink ways that we make people feel that they belong. One that doesn’t require a drink to make you relax –because you should already feel comfortable. As businesses, let’s use the power of our people to make a way of work that helps them thrive. - Kathryn Jacob, Chief Executive, Pearl & Dean
Bottling Up Trouble is a much-needed wake-up call for corporate culture right now. Tabbin, with her compelling personal journey from advertising powerhouse to highly sought-after sobriety coach, brings a raw and insightful examination of alcohol’s hidden toll on businesses. Her book doesn’t just shed light on the issue – it offers practical, stigma-shattering strategies for creating a healthier, more inclusive, and ultimately more successful workplace. A must-read for any leader serious about nurturing wellbeing and boosting performance in their organization. - Christy Osborne, Sobriety Coach, author of Love Life Sober: A 40-day alcohol fast to rediscover your joy, improve your health and renew your mind
Bottling Up Trouble is long overdue! It tackles the way alcohol on so many levels is undermining personal and organizational health and productivity, as well as the way that for many organizations it is often seen as ‘rite of passage’ and even progression in some cases. Organizations have allowed it to become part of their fabric; its consumption is touted as the elixir of life whilst its destructive power on multiple levels is overlooked. As a senior police officer who barely drank any alcohol when I joined the service, to have become a routine, regular, and heavy drinker by my mid 40s for just about every reason, including as a coping mechanism for stress, I have witnessed first-hand its unhelpful role within organizational culture but also its influence on countless lives whether as victims of violent crime or simply people losing livelihoods and their dignity as they spiralled into alcohol-dependant lifestyles. My own wakeup call began in 2018 but it was only when I suffered from burnout that I finally called time and subsequently have worked hard to try and change organizational culture in policing with regards to this.
Tabbin’s treatment of the subject in this book is incredibly insightful. It is well thought out, factual, and helpful. It will equip organizations to rethink, re-evaluate, and reorientate but also will help to create space for healthy conversations, de-stigmatizing where necessary and supporting individuals to be their best and to better optimize health and wellbeing, alleviating stress and improving personal resilience. Organizations really can change their culture and narrative concerning alcohol and there is no time like the present to do this! Bottling Up Trouble will help you to uncork your organizational potential in an unprecedented way. - Retired Chief Superintendent Maria Fox, [(served in Derbyshire constabulary, West Midlands Police, and Greater Manchester Police)
Reading sections of this book has given some great insight into alcohol, performance, and team culture. Times change, and so culture changes along with it, books like this may help shed some light to anyone that is curious as to what that change may look like and why it may be necessary. - Don Armand, Business owner and former Exeter Chiefs and England rugby player
A much needed, insightful resource on a critical, often overlooked topic. If leaders read this book and take it to heart, they will be able to create healthier and more effective organizations, and help employees have healthier lives. - Tara Mohr, author of Playing Big and founder of the global Playing Big leadership programme for women, and expert on women’s leadership and well-being
