Yes, good topic, these things are related. Food can be abused to alter feelings, just like alcohol. Just like some people have a problem with the brain mechanism that tells normal people to stop drinking, some people have trouble knowing when to stop eating.
I struggle with this. It's possible to cut out alcohol entirely, but with food, you must eat. There is no black and white with it. I've found that long periods of restrictive eating make me a miserable person (obsessive, grouchy, making poor decisions) so I don't want to go down that road (again). Just as it was necessary for me to deal with some internal problems to stop abusing alcohol, it will be necessary to work on them to keep improving my eating habits (dealing with stress, taking care of myself, not eating for emotional reasons). Even with all that considered, the body will still crave enough calories to maintain its current weight--even if you're overweight--so I'm not sure what the answer is. I've lost 25 pounds since I quit drinking and that was through the type of restriction that doesn't work for me long term. I would like to lose more and I am trying to apply the things I've learned from alcohol recovery to the food question -- taking it one day at a time, practicing acceptance and gratitude, etc.