I think you've really hit the nail on the head there.
I think we have to be really careful about looking at these illnesses as being about food. The restriction of food is a symptom of some underlying, more complex, as I said, kind of cognitive or emotional problem or dilemma. Now we get into really grey areas, where we start talking about the individual and what is the core, the root, of the conflict that has led to them needing to manifest that conflict or that struggle in these ways.
That's where the richness comes in—the social and cultural influences, the genetics, the biology, the early role-modelling. All of these factors will feed into some sort of need or conflict that will be played out or experienced as an eating disorder.
But you're quite right that if we just focus on food, if we cut off that branch of the tree without looking at the deeper issues and without helping a person to understand themselves, their narrative, their emotional experiences, or how to regulate them, then the problem will invariably resurface as abuse of alcohol or drugs, or cutting, or...in a quieter way, let's put it that way.