Alcohol abuse is more immediately dangerous to the self and others than food is.
I think that it is less likely that a person would die immediately due to food issues. I am quite aware that people do die from compulsive overeating and similar food issues, but in terms of immediacy of a problem, alcoholism should be handled before compulsive overeating unless your doctor says otherwise. Remember, I don't make judgements or comparisons about other people's suffering. What is a terrible burden to one person is easily handled by another. I think suffering depends on how a person views his situation and it is dependent on other things as well.