She believes that drinking should not be an expectation in corporate environments, nor should it be a measure of professional success or sociability.

“It starts out as a perk of the job, but it becomes a requirement of the job.”

For years, she worked in industries where drinking was not only normalised but encouraged. Client entertainment meant keeping up with drinking expectations, and refusing a drink could be seen as a lack of team spirit.

“Do you check with somebody before you send a gift, whether or not they drink alcohol? The most common reply is, no, who doesn’t love a bottle of bubbly?”

She challenges workplaces to rethink corporate gifting, expense policies, and the psychological safety of employees who may struggle with alcohol. She argues that alcohol should not be the default, nor should abstaining from it come with stigma.

“If leaders don’t lead on this, there’s no psychological safety for people saying, ‘Do you think I could have a bit of help?'”

Her Own Journey with Alcohol

Tabbin’s personal relationship with alcohol started in university but took a firm hold in the workplace. She loved the excitement of her advertising job, where long boozy lunches were standard practice. Eventually, she realised her drinking patterns were different from those around her.

“I can’t not drink because I’m being asked to entertain clients. You take a client out for lunch, and if they want to drink wine, you keep them company. That’s your job. You stay out until they’re ready to go home.”

Her attempts to quit drinking in the early 2000s were met with mixed results. She tried Alcoholics Anonymous but never felt like she fit in.

“I didn’t feel that I’d found my tribe somehow, but I was quite committed to stopping.”

She later attended a hypnotherapy session that kept her alcohol-free for seven years. However, it did not address the root causes of her drinking.

The Turning Point

After seven years alcohol-free, a major life crisis led her to drink again. Facing a serious breast cancer diagnosis, she turned to alcohol in a moment of fear.

“I drank in order not to be in my brain that night. I was just frightened, really scared.”

This relapse made her realise that she hadn’t fully rewired her thinking around alcohol. Drinking in secret, when everyone thought she was sober, felt terrifying. She knew she needed a different approach. That’s when she discovered Annie Grace’s online course, which helped her shift her mindset from deprivation to liberation.

“I love the focus on liberation rather than deprivation. It never feels like something I’ve given up -it’s just an opening of lots of doors.”

Life Now

Tabbin is now six and a half years alcohol-free and actively works with businesses to shift workplace drinking cultures. She advocates for inclusive social events, better alcohol-free options, and an end to the glorification of heavy drinking.

“Bonding over a beer? Those two words don’t belong together. We need to help workplaces find different ways to foster team spirit.”

She encourages companies to listen to their employees and ensure that alcohol-free options are both available and normalized.

“Having just free bars feels wrong these days. It’s particularly unhelpful to anybody who has a problem already.”

For Tabbin, sobriety is not about missing out-it’s about gaining a richer, more fulfilling life. Her work is shifting the way businesses think about alcohol, ensuring that everyone has the option to fully participate, without pressure to drink.

“We don’t drink. We’re not freaks. We’re not all weirdos just because we’ve decided not to drink.”