Shopping Addiction

What is Shopping Addiction?

Shopping addiction or impulse buying is when someone gets a ‘high’ from spending money on goods and spends excessively on goods that they want rather than need. If they act on these urges regularly and spend money they don’t have they may find themselves under the spell of shopping addiction. Items that are reportedly the most frequent purchase of shopping addicts are clothes, jewellery, electrical gadgets and all goods that are linked to self-image. Implying that shopping addiction and status anxieties are closely related.

Debt problems and Shopping Addiction

One of the main implications of shopping addiction is debt. People who are addicted to shopping may spend even when they have no money to spend with, which can soon lead to debt problems. Debts can often spiral out of control and can soon become unmanageable. Other consequences are denial and desperate acts to cover up the addiction.

Shopping addiction can cause its victims to buy items that they do not need. Shops now prey on impulsive, addictive shoppers by making enticing displays and positioning related goods together. Retailers know this is a great way to take advantage of customers with a shopping addiction.

Getting help for Shopping Addiction

There are a number of ways to overcome this problem, including:

* Being honest and admitting there is a problem

* Speak to family and friends so they can offer moral support.

* Always thinking before a purchase and decided if it is a “need” or a “want”.

* Face up to the consequences, such as uncontrollable debts, by getting in touch with treatment-now.com on 0207 100 9931

Shopping addiction will be recognised as a psychiatric disorder. Therefore treatment and therapy could soon be available on the NHS.

If you are suffering from a shopping addition or have accrued uncontrollable debts through impulse buying, please don’t be embarrassed – call treatment-now.com for an informal discussion on 0207 100 9931.