Hoping that people here will keep binge eating disorder and food addictions separate. People who binge eat are not necessarily food addicts. Same with the binge drinkers, who are not all alcoholics.
I seriously think if people avoid the addictive foods, they won't be addicted to them. Binge eating is another matter altogether.
I've mentioned bliss point before.

I come from a family full of addicts: alcohol, illegal drugs, smoking, you name it. I think some of us are predisposed for that sort of personality. I found that I struggle with moderation of things I enjoy. For example, I never smoked and I can take or leave booze but put a plate of cookies in front of me or a computer and I'll eat them all and play games for 8 hours. I'm not sure if it's addiction but I find myself thinking about food and/or games during the day rather than work or about other things I need to do.

It is not surprising that companies engineer their foods to be more appealing and make us want more. That is no different than any other product manufacturer wanting us to choose their product over the competition's. We as consumers need to educate ourselves on what best meets our nutritional needs.

I over ate and I ate emotionally, but I never binged to the point of feeling ill. I think many of us learn to stop listening to our bodies and ignore the cues that we are full and satisfied. That is made worse when we eat foods that are designed to minimize those signals. For some those foods also trigger chemical reactions in the brain similar to a drug addict's.

For someone who has that bio-chemical addiction element, I can see the need to give up those foods entirely. Others might not need to take such a drastic step. I have been avoiding those foods just because it is hard to stay within my calorie goals and meet my macro goals while eating those nutritionally empty foods. Even when I get to maintenance that will still be the case. I have no intention of every purchasing those type of foods for my home again. However that doesn't mean I won't have them when I'm out in a small, controlled portion.

The critical step for me is to learn to recognize when I am hungry and when I am full. I want to eat because I'm hungry, not because I'm angry, or bored, or sad or for any other reason. And I want to stop when I'm full, not because the plate is empty.

AwesomeGuy that is a really interesting point. And raises another question for me.. do we binge eat because we are addicted? Does anyone binge on salad? Carrots? Bliss point was a new one on me.

Julie, I think the two are related. From what I understand, a salad binge wouldn't have the same effect as a chocolate or bread binge because the limbic brain is stimulated by fat, sugar, and salt to trigger the release of dopamine. So the addiction is actually not to the taste of the food (because who tastes anything when you're in a binge?) but to the release of dopamine that the food triggers.

Edit to add: It makes me want to ask if anyone is addicted to having that "full" feeling. I really like feeling full. These days I'm not craving certain foods or emotionally eating, but still have not overcome wanting that full feeling when I eat. Not sure if it is just human or a problem.

THIS, THIS, THIS - I have even said it a lot but I never thought it was a problem till this moment!!! All my life I pick the biggest items so I will fill full. I looove "Reese Cups", but I hardly ever buy them - Their to small. I will pick the biggest thing I can find for the same amount of money. A lot of time I have a craving for something, but buy something else because its more filling. The whole time I'm eating it, I'm thinking about the other item and how good it would have been. BUT do I stop " NO! " I have repeated this pattern my whole life and never acknowledged it. I don't like to feel hungry, I eat every 3-4 hrs. Ya, I'm thinking this might be a problem.
Blessings