Luckily, figuring this out is one of the easiest things to do. There are very specific symptoms and signs that you can look for. If any of the following statements sound like they could apply to you, then it's likely you are struggling with emotional eating.

1. My hunger comes on suddenly.
Physical hunger comes on slowly. Hunger from emotional eating often comes on quickly and suddenly.

2. Cravings for specific, usually unhealthy foods is a sign of emotional eating. Often people like the rush they get from satisfying their cravings. That rush is fulfilling emotional hunger.

3. My hunger feels urgent—I need a particular food right away and I'm willing to walk out of my way, or get in your car late at night, or raid my kid's Halloween candy to get it.
Physical hunger, unless you haven't eaten for a very long time, is usually pretty patient. It will wait for food. Emotional hunger demands to be satisfied immediately.

4. My hunger is often paired with an upsetting emotion—if I backtrack a few hours or a few days I'll usually find an upsetting event and feeling that triggered the urge.
Hunger that's connected to an upsetting emotion or situation is definitely emotional hunger. Physical hunger is not typically triggered by emotions.

5. My eating habits involve unconscious eating—all of a sudden I'm eating ice-cream and I find the whole container is gone.
When you're eating for physical reasons, you are usually mindful of what you're doing. If you catch yourself eating "just because," then it's likely you're eating for emotional reasons.

6. I don't stop eating in response to being full—I keep wanting more of the taste of the food.
Physical hunger doesn't need to be stuffed in order to be satisfied. Emotional hunger on the other hand often demands more and more food to feel satisfied.

7. My hunger isn't located in belly—I crave the taste of a certain food in my mouth or I can't stop thinking of a certain food.
Feeling hungry in this way is usually a sign of emotional hunger. Physical hunger is happy to get what it can, while emotional hunger usually focuses on specific tastes and textures.

8. After I satisfy my hunger, I am often filled with a sense of regret or guilt.
Feeding your body what it needs is not something to feel guilty about. If you feel guilty after you eat, it's likely because part of you knows you're not eating just to satisfy physical hunger.

I have a similar story to yours, I also was in leadership in high school and towards the end of my senior year I just stopped caring.  I became such a stoner and only hung out with stoners, but once I decided to go back to college, all my old friends were still there.  I'm sure that they will be gracious to see that you're trying to recover and will be open to helping you. 

This is so sad, what the heck was he doing with so many drugs!?  He must have been too messed up to drive then pulled over to sleep it off.  I hope he turns out okay once he gets out of jail. 

Some teachers are just so mean!  I had a teacher that would yell at me because I had transferred from another school and I hadn't learned the same things all the other kids already knew.  I also had another teacher that was so irritable and one time she tripped in front of the whole class and threw a kids backpack all the way across the room.  Some people should never choose teaching as a profession. 
I'm sorry you went through so much as a child with your mother's smoking.  But just keep reminding yourself that she quit for you and that's all that matters. 

I read somewhere that they're beginning to cast new members for the second season of Celebrity Rehab.  It should be pretty interesting. 

Nicotine withdrawals or cravings should really only last 3-5 minuts, maybe 10 for some people.  You may be an anxious person and if so, you can get some anti-anxiety medication.  I haven't heard much hype about those types of pills.  Were you smoking for very many years?

My mom is going through a similar situation with my brother.  He's 20 years old and just recently quit smoking pot, like 2 days ago.  Even though he promised her that he would give up his habit, he kept smoking... the promise was made over a year ago.  And she just found out that he's failing all of his classes in college.  He has a scholarship and he's failed a lot of the classes he took.  So now he's thinking about starting over at a junior college and giving up his scholarship.  I can tell that shes feeling so overwhelmed right now but she basically told him that if he doesn't start passing his classes, then he'll have to move out and find a job.  I'm not really sure what to tell her either to make her feel better. 

If listening to a certain type of music makes you want to get drunk, then you probably shouldn't be listening to that music.  Most rap is all about drugs, alcohol, and sex.  The beat gets you all hyped up and makes you want to dance, it's fun to listen to, but if it's prompting you do become addicted, then you should listen to different types of music also, that might help you out.

All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward.