According to Donald Black, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, like other addictions, compulsive shopping and spending are defined as “inappropriate, excessive, and out of control”. It basically has to do with impulsiveness and lack of control over one's impulses.
So now that you know what characterizes a shopping addict, it is important to recognize that treating a spending addiction requires a multifaceted approach that will involve help and support from health care professionals to credit counselors.
Reaching Out:
1. Seek the help of a health professional or therapist since behavior change on the part of the addict is a necessary part of solving the problem. Medications have been used, generally antidepressants that treat, in some cases, an underlying issue of depression in someone with an addiction,
2. Find the closest Debtors Anonymous chapter in your area as a 12-step program will be an important part of treatment for ongoing maintenance and support,
3. Get professional credit counseling from a financial consultant as many of the people who seek treatment have a substantial amount of debt.
Things You Can Do On Your Own:
1. Admit that you are a compulsive spender, which is half the battle,
2. Get rid of your checkbooks and credit cards, which fuel the problem,
3. Don't shop by yourself because most compulsive shoppers shop alone and if you are with someone, you are much less likely to be spend,
4. Find other meaningful ways to spend time (for example, going to the gym or engaging in other forms of physical exercise).
It is important to remember that while behavior change is essential to recovery, so is reaching out for help. Doing one without the other will almost always result in failure and backsliding.
Take the first step now.
Find a therapist nearest your area.
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Content-related: Certain italicized portions of this post have been excerpted and adapted from an article from WebMD.com
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