For me feeling empty means devoid of light and feeling. when I hit my bottom I felt very depressed and almost suicidal.
In another sense in rehab/therapy circles they say we were at risk of cross addiction. Meaning we could replace drugs with interest in the opposite sex, we could replace alcohol with drama and so forth. Anything to keep from having to look at our own pain and the pain we created. So getting involved with someone could keep me from working on my own stuff it works for a while but it's a temporary fix until the real work begins.