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Working in the food industry requires constant exposure to food and can potentially lead you to have an obsession with food and the development of unhealthy coping mechanisms. Immersing yourself in the culinary industry, whether it is because you are passionate about food or you are taking a job in the service industry for the sake of paying your bills, can be a creative and rewarding workspace. However, it can be stressful, physically demanding, and can lead to both substance abuse and disordered eating.
Restaurants are centers for entertainment, nourishment, fun, and celebration. But for many who make them their life's work — chefs, servers, restaurant managers, food photographers, and beyond — food is complicated. Chefs and servers work odd, grueling hours on their feet, constantly surrounded by food. Strange eating habits are par for the industry, and eating disorders and addiction are ubiquitous.
An obsession with food
Working in the foodservice industry can be rewarding. Still, it is vital for those recovering from eating disorders to evaluate if it will be contributing to or detracting from their recovery. Individuals with eating disorders often develop an obsession with food, including meal preparation and cooking for others, leading many to pursue careers in the culinary arts. Others might seek entry-level jobs in food service out of convenience, including greeters, servers, or bussers. Some may develop an eating disorder while working in the food industry.
Whether you are a well-known chef working in a five-star restaurant, a waitress at a cocktail bar, a food delivery driver, a barista at a coffee shop or a manager at a fast-food chain; working in the food industry while struggling with an eating disorder can be difficult and may even perpetuate your disorder if you are not careful.
Alcohol as a crutch?
The foodservice industry is one of the leading sectors for alcohol abuse and substance abuse. In fact, according to recent statistics by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, restaurant and hotel workers have the highest rates of illicit drug use by industry. In terms of heavy drinking, miners ranked the highest of all occupations, followed by construction workers and then restaurant/hotel employees.
Heavy alcohol use, defined as drinking five or more drinks during a single occasion on five or more days in the past 30 days, had a rate of 12 percent among restaurant and hotel workers. Many in this industry believe it is part of the culture because of the late hours, long shifts, stressful and fast-paced environment, and daily cash in your pocket, and it has been this way for decades.
In his 2000 memoir, Kitchen Confidential, best-selling recovery drug user turned international food critic Anthony Bourdain described the kitchens where he cut his teeth in the ’70s as “insular, chaotic, drenched in drugs and alcohol, and constantly accompanied by loud rock and roll music.” So how can an individual in recovery, whether it is for an easting disorder or a substance abuse disorder, survive, let alone thrive in the foodservice industry?
Can you succeed in the foodservice industry while in recovery?
Fast-paced environments, limited breaks, intoxicated patrons, and being on your feet all day can be grueling. They can break you down, no matter how passionate you are about food. Being in a fast-paced environment where you are constantly around alcohol, food and stress can be a nidus for relapse resulting in binging and purging behaviors, food restriction, excessive exercise, alcohol abuse, smoking, or injecting drugs.
It can be possible to continue working in this industry during your recovery if you take the proper measures such as making sure you bring healthy foods to eat in order to avoid binging or avoiding working in an environment where they serve alcohol if you are early in your recovery for alcohol or drugs. Additionally, no matter where you are in your recovery process, it is important to digest any uncomfortable emotions that come up throughout your workday so that they do not trigger disordered food behaviors or substance abuse when you get home after a long shift.
Common eating disorder triggers in the foodservice industry
- High paced job can lead to stress, which can cause you to want to use food as a coping mechanism.
- Food industry workers often have short breaks, which means a limited time to eat a snack or meal, which can lead to grabbing whatever food you find handy.
- The constant exposure to food can trigger you to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as binging, purging, or restricting.
- The restaurant industry is widely known for substance abuse, which often co-occurs with an eating disorder.
- Constantly overhearing conversational fragments about the nutritional value of the food.
Signs you may need to take a break from the foodservice industry
- You find yourself continually obsessing about food while you are at work.
- You are purging or binging on your breaks.
- You come into work with a hangover on more than one occasion.
- You need a drink to curb the stress.
- You have sudden urges for drugs or alcohol.
- You are drinking or using at work.
- You find yourself constantly counting calories in your head while at work.
- You use food or alcohol as a stress reliever when you come home from work.
- You are continually sneaking bits of food.
- You are overwhelmed with feelings of guilt after eating a meal.
Seeking help
Many well-known culinary artists have left the food industry to seek help for their eating disorder or addiction. Returning to the industry after treatment and having a new perspective on food and alcohol helps many individuals in recovery succeed in this industry.
Chef Jennifer Ophir left her career in retail design at the age of 34 to follow her culinary dreams. Ophir graduated from culinary school, cooked on the line in a Michelin-starred restaurant, taught aspiring chefs, and led food tours. Now she works as a private chef and food stylist. Her eating struggles flourished in tandem with her career. Her obsession with food eventually became an unhealthy and gratifying relationship. She later went to treatment for food addiction and began the long, slow process of changing her relationship with food. “I started to realize the food for work was not my food. I could still be creative and appreciate the fine art of cooking and plating and serving, yet I don’t need to engulf all of that.”
Recovery and having a healthy relationship with food and alcohol is possible. Still, sometimes, you may need to step away from the industry for a limited or extended time to seek treatment for your eating disorder.
