Escapism

I have a tendancy to use food as an escape.  If I get overwhelmed, which happens often because of school, work, and being the single mother of an almost 3 year old, I turn to food.  I don't think I use it to relax as much as I use it as a detourant from what I actually should be doing.  For example, I go into the kitchen to do dishes.  I see the pile of dishes... sigh.... open the refrigerator and grab a snack.  Go eat the snack. Go into the bedroom to put away laundry. Decide I am thirsty. Get a drink. Grab a snack. Eat. Sit back down on the couch and watch tv because now I feel tired and I still don't want to do anything,  Start thinking about what to make for the next meal.  This line of thinking takes away the thoughts of how I can play with my son, clean my house, go see family or friends.  I put all of my waking energy in what to eat and when to eat and also the guilt of eating and misery of getting nothing done except for expanding my waistline.  This is the mindset that screams addiction.  An addiction is an obsession.  A yearning, a craving, and undeniable want and preoccupation.  I use food, food thoughts, and food based guilt to escape all of my other feelings.  The question is...  If I can gain abstinence from compulsively overeating, will I be able to steal my life back from the food?  Can I handle whatever it is that the food protects me from through escapism?