Gordon and Michael in “Unfinished Business”

(voiceover) Using alcohol as a crutch in the kitchen is a problem that cannot be ignored. To better understand Lenin's problems, I've contacted pioneering chef Michael Quinn. Michael set up the Ark Foundation to tackle the industry-wide problem of drug and alcohol abuse, after he himself was toppled by the demon drink.

You had the perfect job, for fuck's sake. The first-ever British chef to be crowned the chef de cuisine at The Ritz Hotel.

Absolutely. When I left The Ritz I was at the top of the tree, and alcohol just completely took over my life. I went from The Ritz, eventually, to living on the streets. I slept under bridges, in doorways. I was in hospital with liver failure, and I had the last rites from a Catholic priest.

That close?

Yeah.

Why do chefs today think it's part of a fucking rock-and-roll image to drink?

Our business as chefs is a very tough business. The immensely long hours we do, the heat, and also that, you know, you're part of an SAS squad in the kitchen. It's "work hard, play hard, we'll show the rest of the bastards how good we are." But one in ten cross that line. And if you've crossed that line into addiction, into being an alcoholic, you can never go back to social drinking.

Can this guy continue to cook and deal with the problem at the same time?

No. He needs to be separated. Willpower doesn't get you well. In order to recover, you need to surrender and admit defeat, and that is the step forward to freedom.