My name is Kate, and I’m a TaB addict.

It started out simply enough: a can here and there. Nothing big. When I was living in the Midwest, there was always plenty of TaB around. I’d share one with my friends, and once I even gave some to my oldest kid.

That was then.

Now where I live there’s no TaB soda. None. Nada. Zip.

I crave it, man. I dream of TaB. Sometimes, when the sunrise reflects on the ocean in a heavenly pink amid the white caps of the breaking waves, it reminds me of a can of TaB. Man, I miss that stuff. I always beg people who come to visit me to bring some Tab with them. “Hey,� I’ll tell them, “I’ll pay you back. I just need you to get me some. C’mon. Pleeeeeease?�

Some folks get it. My sister-in-law, for example, showed up with 4 12-packs in a spare suitcase. I was a happy camper, until I ran out.

Tomorrow Kelley gets here for a week. I needed an adult to accompany my daughter on her flight from Missouri and, since I have to buy a second ticket anyway, I figured I’d rather fly a friend out. After all, my birthday’s on Tuesday: what a way to treat myself, right? Kelley tells me she’s only bringing 3 cans of TaB. Three. Three!? Her carry-on is too small to fit more in. Man, talk about bummed out.

But there’s always Beverages Direct, right? Wrong. They only ship to the contiguous 48. I did manage to find one place that ships here, but for $35 in TaB the shipping was an additional $189.

So, I guess I’m going to have to resign myself to going through withdrawals. I doubt Betty Ford has a program for this, which means I’ll have to go it alone.

Originally posted on Kate’s site 6.3.04.

I turned diabetic when I was ten (30 years ago), and I’ve been drinking TaB ever since. My Dad bought 100 cases (bottles) of the stuff when the first threat of losing TaB came to light…that lasted a summer. I drink 10-18 cans of TaB every day (I’ve even have it when I am in the hospital-I bring my own. I bring it everywhere: its driven 10,000 miles with me on vacation; its flown 1800 miles with me on vacation; it came with me working the school carnivals (even though I could drink anything else for free); it accompanies me to family picnics, to the Bingo hall (I help there), to my friends’ houses, to parties (even keggers). TaB goes with me everywhere! I take classes at Purdue, it goes there. If I stop in at my parents, I take it there…There is a cooler filled with TaB in the car in my garage right now! I know the number for the Coke bottlers in my area by heart (I’ve had to call) and I inow the delivery guy at my local supplier. I love your web site, and I just knew I wasn’t alone in my TaB addiction…it truly is the nectar of the Gods.

My mom drank TaB when she started Weight Watchers in the late ’60’s. Every once in a while, I’d get to have a sip from her glass. As we never had any other soft drinks in the house, that was a REAL treat. Around age 16, I was allowed one soda a day. TaB was my choice……as long as it wasn’t the last one in the fridge. My favorite “wake me up & get me going” breakfast is actually Frosted brown sugar cinnamon Pop-Tarts & a TaB! I recently got engaged and moved to NC. I told my fiance’ that if I couldn’t find TaB, I wasn’t staying. Fortunately for him, about three weeks after moving, I located ONE store…..35 minutes away…that carried this nectar of the Gods. I was so happy; I could stay!

I have been drinking TaB since I was 10 yrs old. I am 41 now. I am known for my pink cans … in my desk, purse, school locker…leaving one or two with family members, just incase I dropped by! Two years ago, I was married in New Zealand, and there was no TaB there, so I packed a whole suitcase full…and was on a TaB diet, limiting myself to 4 cans daily. I didnt quite make it and by the end of two weeks, I was forced to drink Diet Coke on my honeymoon! My mom (who actually, put TaB in my babies bottles!!) was a die hard drinker until a few yrs back and she had to cut back on her caffine intake for a heart condition. Oh, my god, I hope I dont end up like that!

One of my 1st jobs out of high school was for a whole sale beauty supplier, a family owned business in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA. Alot of our equipment was pretty old, which was fine by me, because they had the coldest Coca Cola 10oz bottle dispensing machine! It was free for employees and HEAVEN!! Nothing beats the heat more than an icy cold bottle of TaB. 10oz is perfect to knock down and stay icy. Boy, I miss those days!

A scary TaB story happened to me just recently. AZ Coke distributors didnt order enough of the 6pks to hold over the stock until the new refidgerator 12pks showed up. I went a whole week without a TaB….calling different grocery stores in southern rural AZ, to no avail. My son found some about 70 miles roundtrip and brought them too me…xxoo But they were quickly gone.

Of course, I was crabby and moaning…and my family was laughing at me… my husband, the love of my life, walks in the kitchen with a can of TaB….he said, look what I found in your car! Evidently, one had rolled under the seats….I was sooooo happy and excited!! Then, he crunched the can before my eyes….it was an empty can, still sealed. We have an empty can problem here in the higher altitude. I was devistated and my eyes teared up! I seriously considered divorce at that moment!! How could he do that to me? He hugged me, now realizing my devotion to TaB. I vowed at that moment, to always have a 1 month supply on hand. To stock pile when they are on sale. (last week, safeway in Sierra Vista, 12pks for $1.99 ea!!)

My current employer, inspired by the bright pink can, painted our entire office the exact same color. Everyone says, there is no way you can be unhappy surrounded by this color! In a strange twist of fate, it was my almost ex-husband who did the painting … he is a painter by trade. And everyday, he looks down at his shoes and see the bright pink splats of paint from this job!

Can you say Karma?