Try: Monitor the situation the first thing that you need to do is to monitor the situation determine if a shopping addiction exists and the extent of the problem after that you can work with cr on ways to address the problem here is a list of some of the things that should be monitored the volume of catalogs in the living quarters the amount of time cr spends watching home shopping networks on television the amount of time cr spends going through newspaper ads especially the ones in the sunday paper the amount of items that are ordered online or on the phone the extent to which excessive and unneeded items are filling up rooms in the house this may indicate that cr has also had a problem with hoarding look for the following signs of shopping addiction an obsessive drive in cr to fix something that is wrong shopping or spending money as a result of feeling angry depressed anxious or lonely cr thinks obsessively about money duplicate purchases of the same items compulsive buying for example cr only needs one item but buys ten cr hides purchases and receipts from you cr lies to you about what has been purchased and the amount of money spent clothing and other items purchased in the house still have the tags on and have never been used cr has multiple credit cards with high balances or maxed out much of the spending has been on non-essential items cr cr’s spending consistently exceeds his or her budget cr is in a vicious cycle of buying items and then returning them due to guilty feelings this in turn leads to more compulsive shopping cr can’t stop the self-destructive behavior cr cr’s personal relationships are impaired because cr is so pre-occupied with shopping as a result cr feels isolated from other people cr often has arguments with others about his or her shopping habits cr feels lost without credit cards and actually going into withdrawal without them cr buys items on credit rather than with cash cr feels guilty ashamed or embarrassed after a spending spree cr lies about how much money was spent for instance owning up to buying something but lying about how much it actually cost cr spends a lot of time juggling accounts or bills to accommodate spending try to determine the possible causes of the apparent shopping addiction; does cr have unmet needs such as socialization relationships with others a sense of purpose for living does cr have a control problem is cr very uncomfortable and anxious in situations where he or she is not in control gently confront cr regarding what you have observed and offer some alternative that may help encourage cr to implement the following recommendations that may help reduce or break the shopping addiction admit that you are a compulsive spender this is half the battle substitute healthy habits and behaviors for the negative ones find other meaningful ways to spend time find a new game because novelty fires up the dopamine system activities that push you to keep learning new skills such as rock climbing or playing chess can be just as rewarding as shopping get a different rush when you feel the need for relief get on a treadmill or bike and push as hard as you can to release endorphins and get a runner’s high implement a self-imposed ban on shopping window-shop without money don’t shop by yourself most compulsive shoppers shop alone and if you are with someone else you are much less likely to spend don’t make shopping a social thing shoppers who hit the stores in groups of three or more generally make more impulse purchases than those browsing alone or in pairs if you really want company pick one friend who isn’t a big shopper so he or she can keep your spending in check pay in cash credit cards have a way of fooling people into thinking they’re not spending money you can charge something and forget it because the bill won’t come in the mail for weeks on the other hand spending cash has a much more immediate impact if you can’t pay cash today then you probably can’t afford whatever you wanted to buy give someone else control over your finances get rid of checkbook and credit cards that fuel the problem place an interrupter between the buying impulse and opening your wallet for example make a phone call or even take a few deep breaths prolong the anticipation stay away from pricey boutiques and head for a department store that offers acres of browsing and lots of distraction break the addiction if your shopping is a problem focus your thinking on specific behaviors that will help break the addictive cycle consider joining a support group including ones like debtors anonymous that deal with out of control spending window-shop first without your wallet then you can return to the store with a clearer head and some self-control this extra step takes a little more time but the savings are worth it shopper shopper’s high the lift people get from hitting the mall comes from dopamine a brain chemical that that’s emitted when you do something pleasurable such as eating a giant slice of pizza or having sex that euphoric feeling is especially potent when the enjoyable activity exposes you to something new such as all that gleaming merchandise you haven’t seen before pinpoint your triggers curb your exposure to stores where you simply can’t leave without buying something – no matter how small however don’t go cold turkey or you’ll just feel deprived and want to shop more map the aisles the more store aisles you visit the more unplanned purchases you make your impulse purchases increase by 10 percent when you visit all instead of just some aisles this makes perfect sense you’re exposed to more new things coupons and displays increasing the likelihood that one of them will prove irresistible plan ahead by mapping out your shopping list grouping items together according to how they’re arranged in the store and you’re more likely to stay on track distinguish between a want and a need when you’re on the verge of buying something ask yourself do i have anything else like this can i live without it most of our so-called needs are really wants that you are justifying it it’s perfectly okay to have and occasionally indulge in wants if you do it wisely so if the item in question isn’t a need decide whether it it’s a practical-but-unnecessary purchase or a luxury keep a shopping diary if impulse spending is a big problem for you try this remedy write down how you felt and everything you bought today do this daily for a couple of weeks and look for patterns for example do you buy junk food when you are depressed and clothes when you are depressed by keeping a diary you can recognize the state of mind that that’s likely to make you buy too much and steer yourself away from the store at those times give yourself a cooling-off period for example take a stroll around the store while holding on to the item if you want to take the plunge anyway put the item down and wait a week
Materials: Books articles audio and video recordings and other resources regarding shopping addiction possible interventions and recovery
Categories: Behavior Challenging, Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Financial, Social, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision
Information: n/a
References: Adapted from www webmd com
Keywords: Shopaholic compulsive shopping compulsive spending shopping addiction
*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed