"They may have secret credit card accounts, too. "Shopoholics will hide their purchases because they don't want their significant other to know they bought it because they'll be criticized," says Engs. "It's more than two or three months of the year, and more than a once-a-year Christmas spree." "A shopping addiction is a continuous problem," says Engs. "When a person with a shopping addiction goes shopping, they often compulsively buy, meaning they go for one pair of shoes and come out with 10." "The normal person will say, 'Oops, I can't afford to buy this or that.' But not someone who has an addiction," explains Engs - he or she will not recognize the boundaries of a budget. "Often times a person will spend over their budget and get into deep financial trouble, spending well above their income," says Engs. What else should a concerned family member or friend look out for when they think shopping has become a problem? "For instance, while alcoholics will hide their bottles, shopoholics will hide their purchases." "There are certainly a lot of commonalities among shopoholics and other addicts," says Engs. So what are the telltale signs that shopping has crossed the line and become an addiction? Shopoholism "Meaning that endorphins and dopamine, naturally occurring opiate receptor sites in the brain, get switched on, and the person feels good, and if it feels good they are more likely to do it - it's reinforced." "Individuals will get some kind of high from an addictive behavior like shopping," says Engs. While the origin of addictions remains uncertain, why addicts continue their destructive behaviors is better understood. "Some of the new evidence suggests that some people, maybe 10%-15%, may have a genetic predisposition to an addictive behavior, coupled with an environment in which the particular behavior is triggered, but no one really knows why." "No one knows what causes addictive behaviors, like shopping, alcoholism, drug abuse, and gambling," says Ruth Engs, EdD, a professor of applied health science at Indiana University. Experts explain to WebMD why shopping can be so addictive, what the warning signs are, and how to stop the cycle of spending. Sometimes referred to as "shopoholism," shopping addiction can wreak havoc on a person's life, family, and finances. In America, shopping is embedded in our culture so often, the impulsiveness comes out as excessive shopping." "Like other addictions, it basically has to do with impulsiveness and lack of control over one's impulses. "Compulsive shopping and spending are defined as inappropriate, excessive, and out of control," says Donald Black, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa College of Medicine. For others, however, shopping is much more than an enjoyable pastime, and in some cases, it is a real and destructive addiction that can turn into a financial disaster. From hitting the mall with your girlfriends on a Saturday afternoon, to holiday spending on gifts that go under the tree, shopping could be called one of America's favorite pastimes.įor most people, it means some new clothes for work or a small trinket for a friend.
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