If I am a recovery alcoholic, do sugar alcohols in food affect me? or are they different from alcohol in drinks?

Sugar alcohols are sweeteners and, in spite of their name, do not contain any ethanol. Recovering alcoholics have nothing to worry about with sugar alcohols--they are not what we tend to think of as "alcohol", and they won't alter your mood in any way.

As a recovering person, your caution is a good thing.