Shopaholism, shopping addiction – signs addiction, effective therapy

Shopoholism, or shopoholism or compulsive shopping, is, in simplest terms, an addiction to shopping. This addiction refers to impulsive buying, the excessive purchase of products or services that are not essential. Nowadays, the world is dominated by consumerism and the fast fashion industry, hence this phenomenon has become more common. With the rise of online shopping, buying items with just a few clicks has become easier. This ease of shopping has led to an increase in the number of people addicted to shopping. Ubiquitous advertisements portray buying goods as something positive and fun, which can, however, be very illusory and short-lived. Who exactly is a shopaholic, what are the symptoms and treatment of this addiction?

Shopaholicism – definition

It is difficult to establish a single definition of shopaholicism. As mentioned above, this can be called addiction to shopping and the feeling of compulsion to make purchases, most often uncontrollable and negatively affecting a person’s functioning. Impulsive purchases are often a reaction to unpleasant events or unacceptable emotional states. They cause a short-term decrease in mental tension and an improvement in mood immediately after the purchase. Shopaholism belongs to the group of behavioral addictions, i.e. addictions to activities. Other widespread addictions include Internet addiction and even workaholism. The tendency was first described in the early 20th century by Kraepelin and Bleuler and termed oneomania. Subsequently, the term – oniomania– began to be used. The first studies on shopaholism, in turn, appeared in the United States and Canada in the mid-1980s.

Shopaholism – causes

The causes of shopaholism can vary. Biological, psychological, spiritual and social factors influence its occurrence. The first of these are associated with low levels of serotonin and dopamine. The development of shopaholism is assumed to be influenced by states of hyperactivity and hypoactivity of brain areas associated with the opioid system. Impulsive buying disorder (compulsive buying disorder) can be triggered by general addictive tendencies, impulsive behavioral tendencies, the presence of addiction in the family, a lack of coping skills to deal with stress and negative emotions, as well as a long-term decline in mood. In addition, the phenomenon more often affects people whose closest relatives have faced a similar problem. It is fostered by the increasing availability of consumer goods, the possession of which is often considered a marker of wealth and position in society. Shopaholics are also often exposed to social pressure resulting from belonging to a group with specific requirements regarding, among other things, appearance. People who have previously been affected by poverty and are afraid of running out of something again in the future are prone to addiction.

How common is shopaholism?

Compulsive shopping, is a type of addiction that has become an increasingly serious topic in recent years. This addiction, can be described as the syndrome of the 21st century.
The development of shopping addiction, like other behavioral addictions, builds gradually. From buying innocent small products to being in a string of purchases (such as shoes and jewelry) that a person does not need for anything. According to various studies, compulsive buying affects 2-16%, 2-8% or even 12-16% of the general population. This percentage includes mostly women, although it is suspected that they are simply more likely to admit to these inclinations. The onset of the problem is not influenced by material status; it usually begins around the age of 20. As many as 20% of those suffering from shopaholism grew up in families where alcohol addiction occurred. The relationship between depression and shopaholism is also important. These conditions coexist in 18% of people. Most often, addiction is accompanied by mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and substance abuse. At the same time, those affected may manifest tendencies toward sexual dysfunction and pathological gambling.

Symptoms of shopaholicism

In the literature one can come across various classifications of people affected by shopaholism. One of the most popular distinguishes four types of shoppers according to their motives for making purchases. Shopaholism – symptoms can be related to:

• the result of a strong emotional reaction,
• the effect of a spontaneous impulse,
• hedonistic action,
• compulsion

Another classification refers to shoppers as “bargain hunters,” i.e., those who purchase products mainly during sales, “collectors,” i.e., people who compulsively purchase various gadgets, “novelty collectors,” i.e., seekers of new and fashionable items, as well as people who satisfy the need to purchase goods by simply looking at them. Four phases of shopaholism are standardly mentioned:

• anticipation (thoughts),
• preparation (when and where),
• shopping (excitement),
• spending (remorse).

There are, of course, various symptoms of shopaholism, but several behaviors should draw special attention. It can be suspected in people who shop to make themselves feel better, spend a lot of time shopping in malls or online auctions, obsessively plan their next purchases, or prefer to spend money on shopping rather than, for example, paying bills. Shopaholics have financial problems, borrow money for purchases from others, feel excitement when planning purchases, experience euphoria during purchases, while feeling guilt and shame afterwards. They acquire unnecessary items and often hide them without even unpacking them. Moreover, they lie about the products they have acquired. The need to shop and spend money can cause feelings of guilt. As a result, addicts often hide purchased items for fear of criticism from those around them, quarrel with loved ones for these reasons and have “secret” credit cards and bank accounts. In some situations, extreme shopaholism leads to bankruptcy and, in the case of married people, to divorce and increasing bad feelings about loneliness. The self-esteem of shopaholics can come to a significant decline and the difficulties I realistically face intensify mental health problems.

Behavioral addiction-an addiction? How does a specialist make a diagnosis?

For shopaholicism to have a chance to be properly diagnosed, it is necessary to conduct a detailed interview with the person to identify the problem. The most competent professionals are a properly trained certified psychotherapist or psychiatrist. It can be assumed that shopaholism is diagnosed when a person manifests a minimum of three symptoms from the following list:

• feels a strong need or necessity to buy,
• he or she feels a subjective belief that he or she is less able to control shopping behavior, that is, his or her control over refraining from purchasing goods or services is impaired, as is his or her control over the length and frequency of time he or she spends making purchases,
• when attempting to restrain the person from making purchases, he or she experiences anxiety, irritability and a general malaise that subsides when the opportunity to complete purchases presents itself,
• the shopping addict spends more and more time buying, in order to improve his or her well-being and feelings of satisfaction, which were previously achievable in a much shorter period of time,
• neglects alternative sources of pleasure and interest in favor of making purchases and obtaining financial resources for them,
• does not stop shopping in spite of the harmful physical, psychological and social consequences, which he has no doubt result precisely from the fact of shopping,
• has difficulty refraining from shopping.

The aforementioned behaviors may not additionally be the result of an episode of hypomania or mania. There is another method that can be used by a person who suspects shopaholism in himself – a test, which, of course, cannot replace consultation with a specialist, but often makes you think and motivates you to take action. It consists of 10 questions:

• Have you ever felt a strong need to make purchases?
• Does the very thought of shopping make you feel better?
• When shopping, do you ever feel a sense of detachment from your problems?
• Do you feel excitement or euphoria while shopping?
• Have you ever, shortly after making a purchase, forgotten why you actually bought the product?
• Have you ever happened to buy something unnecessary?
• Do you feel relieved, relaxed after making a purchase? Do you feel that shopping becomes a reward and leads to the release of inner tension?
• Have you ever spent an unusually large amount of money on shopping?
• How many times a week do you shop?
• Have you ever been accompanied by feelings of guilt after making a purchase?

In addition, you may want to help yourself with the following set of questions prepared on the basis of self-help community materials:

• Do you happen to make purchases to cope with a bad mood or depressed state?
• Is the purchase of an item, whether useful or not, accompanied by a brief feeling of excitement for you?
• Do you happen to buy items you can’t afford because you feel you deserve it.
• Do you achieve quick satisfaction after making large purchases and paying for them with a credit card, while pushing away the negative consequences of doing so?
• Does it also exhibit other behaviors typical of addicts, such as scrimping on sorrows or abusing alcohol?
• When making purchases, are you sometimes accompanied by feelings of guilt about repeating such behavior?
• Are you in debt as a result of your impulsive purchasing of products?
• Do you happen to make impulsive purchases at the expense of limiting your spending on things that are truly essential products?

Obviously, the higher the number of “yes” answers, the more serious the problem of shopaholism.

Shopaholism – addiction to shopping. How to recognize the problem?

If a person notices that he has a problem with controlling his shopping, he should follow a few tips. Ideally, she should not carry credit cards and pay only in cash, and should make a shopping list beforehand and stick to it strictly. The shopping list should be arranged with the most necessary things and excluding the less important ones. For so-called shopping, such a person must go with a calculated amount of money, and preferably in the company of other people. He must avoid all promotions and sales, as well as TV channels with commercials. Free time must be planned in such a way that there is no room in it for a visit to the mall. When the hard-to-reject thought of having to shop arises, it can be helpful to go out for a walk in company and verbalize one’s problem. Keep in mind, of course, that if there is an alarming increase in symptoms and signals from loved ones that shopping is out of control, a visit to a certified addiction specialist may be necessary. After all, not all psychiatrists and psychologists have the expertise and experience to diagnose and treat addictions.

Shopaholism – treatment

How to treat shopaholicism? For all behavioral addictions including shopaholism, the primary form of treatment is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It is not uncommon to find it necessary to seek counseling for financial counseling and sound money management, as well as debt repayment. It is worth noting that pharmacotherapy is not used in the treatment of shopaholism, due to the uncertainty of its effect on such difficulties. Another problem is that there are not enough treatment programs and facilities that approach the treatment of this addiction in a professional manner. In the U.S., Debtors Anonymous and Shoppers Anonymous groups were established in 1968. In Poland, the first Debtors Anonymous group was founded in 2011 in Poznan. Their activities are based on the tailored 12 Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous. There are also groups designed for people who can’t cope with feeling the need to accumulate items and do so illegally – the groups of Kleptomaniacs Anonymous and Shoplifters Anonymous.

Treatment of shopaholism

The first step in treating addiction is to identify the cause. There are many reasons why someone might develop an addiction, but one of the most common reasons is stress. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious about your life, shopping can be a way to temporarily feel better. The problem is that it doesn’t really solve any of your problems, but instead just makes them worse, increasing your debt and making you feel guilty about spending money on unnecessary things you don’t need.

In cognitive-behavioral therapy, the goal is to change the way you think and behave. The work involves understanding thoughts, feelings and behaviors related to shopping and spending money. Past experiences are also important to find out what led to the addiction. The therapist will also help develop strategies to counter impulsive behaviors associated with buying things, such as setting spending limits each day or week, avoiding stores or in malls, or saying no to friends or family members if they want to buy something.

How to stop being a shopaholic

Stopping being a shopaholic requires conscious action, self-discipline and often external support. Here are some steps that can help in the fight against shopaholism:

1. Recognizing the problem

• Awareness. The first step is to recognize that you have a problem with compulsive shopping. Understanding that shopping is negatively affecting your life, finances, relationships or mental health is the key to making changes.

2. Tracking your habits

• Keep a journal. Write down all your spending, emotions and situations that lead to shopping. This will help you understand what triggers your compulsive purchases and the emotions associated with them.

3. Change your thinking and beliefs

• Questioning impulses. Before you make a purchase, ask yourself questions: “Do I really need this? Can I put this off for later? What am I feeling at the moment and why do I want to buy this?”.
• Avoiding temptations. If you know that specific places, websites or situations provoke you to buy, try to avoid them or limit your contact with them.

4. Planning your purchases

• Create a shopping list. Always plan your purchases in advance. Prepare a list of needed items and stick to it to avoid ill-considered purchases.
• Setting a budget. Set a monthly shopping budget and try not to exceed it. Monitoring your spending will help you better control your finances.

5. Find alternative ways to deal with emotions

• Find healthy alternatives. Instead of resorting to shopping, find other ways to improve your mood, such as exercise, meditation, hobbies, or talking to loved ones.
• Relaxation exercises. Techniques such as deep breathing, yoga or mindfulness can help you manage stress and other emotions without shopping.

6. External support

• Psychotherapy. Consider seeking the help of a therapist, especially if you are having difficulty coping on your own. Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) is particularly effective in treating shopaholism.
• Support groups: Joining a support group for people with a similar problem can provide motivation and support during difficult times.

7. Restricting access to money

• Avoiding credit cards. Consider giving up credit cards or limiting their use. Paying with cash can help you better control your behavior.
• Automatic savings. Set up automatic transfers to a savings account so that fewer funds are available for reckless spending.

8. Celebrate small successes

• Celebrating progress. Appreciate yourself for every step toward quitting shopaholism. Celebrating small successes can help keep you motivated.

Is it possible to fully recover from shopaholism?

Some may argue that it is impossible to become addicted to shopping because it does not involve drugs or alcohol. However, this is untrue. Our brain releases dopamine when we shop, and this chemical makes us want more and more things. It is interesting to note that opinions on the possibility of a complete cure for shopaholism are divided. Indeed, a cure is defined as a situation in which a compulsive and uncontrolled shopper regains full control over his or her behavior in this regard. In the case of shopaholism, it is very difficult to say goodbye to the problem once and for all, the addict’s attitude to the failures in the fight against shopaholism is very important. It is important for the person in treatment to try to accept the various moments of treatment, including his own failures and relapses of impulsive behavior. Controlling the addiction requires meticulous work on oneself and perseverance, so the addict should regularly consult a specialist who will be able to catch the relapse of disturbing symptoms in time and react in the right way.

What can be done to avoid contracting shopaholism?

Controlling addictive tendencies is difficult, so a lot of self-discipline is required. It is necessary to observe if there are situations in which, instead of purchasing a planned product, a person has purchased additional and not necessarily necessary items. The purchase of a new product should involve thinking and asking the question – do I really need it now? It is worth stopping and rethinking the purchase decision. If these situations recur more and more often, it may be necessary to take the above-mentioned measures and consult a specialist. Do not underestimate the first symptoms, as addiction can begin to bring increasingly negative consequences, both health and financial.

Bibliography:

https://www.addictionhelp.com/shopping-addiction/