Many people with a binge eating habit report that when they indulge in food, they have one or more of the following experiences:

• A sense of belonging.
• A feeling of fitting in.
• Feeling important.
• Feeling adequate.
• Feeling high.

People who are addicted to illegal drugs, also report experiencing similar feelings. When they are on drugs, they are happy and content.

Although it may seem unbelievable that food can have a drug like effect, when we consider that like drugs it interacts with the pleasure centers of the brain, the similarities between food and drug addiction begin to make more sense.

The forces behind all addictions are emotional. All addicts gradually loose their ability to participate in life. This is because their inability to resolve mounting emotional conflicts demands ever increasing quantities of the numbing agent, be it food or drugs.

The descent into deeper emotional pits will not stop on its own. And every addict sooner or later realizes this. Unfortunately, the admission that the problem exists often comes too late. 

If you can't stop eating, in spite of knowing that binging is damaging your health, then you may indeed be addicted to food. And if so, it is time to do something about it.