its a terrible cycle. i was 275lbs the day i quit drinking and 6 months later or so i quit my 2+ pack a day cigarette habit fixed my diet and started excercising. I now when i'm not injured ... run 50-70 miles a week and weight in at 150lbs.
The point is the body can recover.
But the insanity is crazy. the exact cure or what seems to be the cure for our issues is also the the same poison causing them! Its like chasing your tail after a while.
Once the cycle is broken however and we face the depression and axiety and life head on we can start to cope with it in other ways. and we starve the alcoholic beast within of its poison.
I know what you mean about drinking and how you loose interest in other things. I think thats 2 fold I mean sure partly booze is no good etc.. But I know for me if i'm involved in one thing i tend to loose sight of everythign else. I kinda got a 1 track mind. So if i where to drink it would be front and center in my life. But I dont think for me the drink is special in that regard antyhign can easily become the new object of my obsession.