Shopping is an activity that many people appreciate, however, when it is excessive, it can be a problem. Compulsive shopping is a type of addiction, just like addiction to drugs or gambling. Usually, it affects women more. Experts also found that shopaholics show a surge of chemicals in the brain before going shopping similar to that seen in alcoholics before drinking. Shopping addicts may have many items at home that still bear the price tag. What drives them to buy is not the object itself, but the desire to stave off the anxiety and depression that causes the compulsive disorder. Therefore, it is important for shopaholics to get help knowing how to quit.
Steps
Step 1. Pay cash only
For shopaholics, credit cards are like play money to play with.
- Cut your credit cards.
- Carry only cash with you to prevent the compulsion from getting out of control.
Step 2. Make a list of things to buy before you leave the house
- Don't buy anything if it's not on the list.
- If you see something you want to buy, but it's not on the list, wait 24 hours before buying to let the impulse subside.
Step 3. Avoid the factors that trigger shopping
For example: shopping malls or outlets.
- Modern shopaholics are often addicted to internet shopping (eBay, Amazon, etc.) or telesales. If the internet or television makes you lose control, block access to these sites and channels.
- If some people foment your craving, avoid them.
Step 4. Go "window-shopping" (ie just look at the windows) after the shops have closed, or leave your wallet and checkbook at home as an alternative to "real shopping"
Step 5. When the urge to buy begins to overwhelm you, change other behaviors
- Take a walk or a bath.
- Do something creative or try volunteering.
Step 6. Manage complex emotions without resorting to compulsive shopping as a distraction
- Evaluate which events and factors in your life are causing emotional turmoil.
- Does shopping help or does it only make emotions worse?
Step 7. Call a trusted friend or other people who can support you without judging you
Right now you need unconditional love.
Step 8. Seek the help of a professional for an individual consultation or join a support group
Many addiction management programs offer group and self-help therapies for addictive personalities.
Warnings
- If you do not seek help with your addiction and if you just try to hide the problem, you could have great financial difficulties and a breakdown in personal relationships.
- Compulsive shopping can be accompanied by other problems, such as alcoholism, eating disorders and depression.
- Although abstinence is the only cure for some forms of addiction, it is very difficult to completely refrain from shopping.
