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Getting help and treatment for your shopping addiction
The first step to getting help is to acknowledge that you have a shopping problem. Once you've taken this giant step, you will have the motivation to look for help. While there is no standardized method for treating shopping addiction, the two main forms of therapy are medication and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT).
A review article published in World Psychiatry in 2007 estimated that approximately 6% of Americans are faced with a compulsive shopping problem at some point in their lives. Other studies report a higher percentage, depending on the method of study.
Just like any other addiction, people with a shopping addiction go to great lengths to hide their shopping activities and purchases. Many people often do not face their shopping problems until they run up a substantial credit card debt and reach a "dead end," finding themselves liable to serious financial consequences. This can lead to other damaging personal setbacks, such as losing the trust of loved ones when they find out or even losing a job or a home.
Various clinical studies have taken place to evaluate the effectiveness of medication therapy normally used to treat anxiety and depression. The results of medication as treatment for shopping addiction, however, are mixed.
A common method of treatment is cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT is a general term that describes the process of identifying and correcting problems associated with the way you think, behave, and feel, all of which may be contributing to your addictive or compulsive behaviours. The focus of CBT is on issues that stem from within you rather than external influences. Taking quality time with professional help, self-help, loved ones, or those in similar situations to sort out your feelings, emotions, and history can get you started on the road to healing.
Therapy programs may be guided by an appropriate professional (such as a psychologist, therapist, or counsellor), self-help efforts (i.e., self-help books, keeping a shopping diary), or volunteer or charity programs that offer support and provide realistic steps on how to curb the compulsion to shop (i.e., Debtors Anonymous, Credit Canada). Effective CBT would ideally include a tailored combination of all these programs that best fit your needs. It will also include addressing areas of your life that have been affected by a shopping addiction, such as considering marriage counselling and financial counselling.
Changing your shopping habits
After you've admitted to your shopping addiction, it's time to do the hard work of getting control back in your life and developing healthier shopping habits.
Admitting that you have a shopping addiction is the first step towards healing. Oftentimes, the secrets you have to carry are actually a heavier burden than the problem itself.
While there may be a lot of temptation around you that feeds your need to shop excessively, you ultimately have to take action and take control of your spending habits. Just like going to the gym, changing to a healthier diet, or anything that takes discipline or getting used to, the reward after the hard work will be worth it.
And shopping shouldn't have to be banned completely or forever! It is called "retail therapy" for a reason - a way to relax, to enjoy the fruits of your hard-earned dollar, to express your creative outlet, and all that shopping jazz.
The road to rediscovering the joy of healthy shopping requires that you have a plan in motion that can help you get back in control, and it may require learning some new shopping habits to replace bad shopping habits of the past. Each time you replace an old habit with a new and healthier routine, it will only help you get stronger to face down the next shopping urge.
Here are some tips on how to curb a shopping temptation:
- Window shop only after hours so that you are not tempted to walk into the store.
- Use the internet only for work purposes or to complete errands - do not surf online.
- Go shopping with a friend, who can help keep tabs on how much you are buying - avoid shopping alone.
- Get rid of your credit cards or leave them at home when you go shopping to avoid the temptation to spend.
- Find other routine activities to replace the times you used to spend shopping.
- Enlist a buddy or two who are willing to be on call whenever you feel the urge to shop.
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