I am a great believer in the opposition between connection and addiction. Computer strategy games are my addiction, and I definitely find a trade-off between connection time with friends and family, on the one hand, and computer game time, on the other.
It also helps to treat addictive substances or activities (e.g. eating cake) as a "social activity only". Just as drinking alone is a sign of a problem, so eating treats alone shows an imbalance.
I lost 20 pounds when I retired, and have kept it off. I am still a little bit overweight, but I love getting comments about how I am "looking good," etc. The key was getting enough sleep. Research has showed that insufficient sleep leads to more impulsive behavior.