Bottling Up Trouble

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