Recently, I had a friend telling me that she has spent almost all of her month's salary on shopping. I was a bit surprised because how can a person drop a month's earning in one day at the mall? Apparently, it is not only those rolling-in-riches celebrities and famous people who are at shopping like crazy, it is also us the poor schmucks who spend our days in the office who are addicted into shopping. But when can we say that shopping is too much? When is it considered an addiction?



One tell sign of being shopping addict is when shopping becomes a therapy. Not long ago, shopping was one of the new concepts that could light up our lives. Thus, during those times, when we shopped, we felt giddy happy because our minds were getting a rush. Then it all kind of went out of control with the advent of payday and week end sales. Now shopping is what we do when we are bored, tired, upset or angry. For some, it defeats or at least circumvents boredom and makes consumption an exercise in hope for more happiness and others including beauty and status. Compulsive buying disorder may be common nowadays; it is a form of uncontrollable and avoidable but progressive destructive behavior that masks deeper issues on self-esteem and others.

Just like any other activity like sports, going to the mall can flood the brain with dopamine which is released when something new and thrilling comes our way. A good bag that cost a hefty amount, an expensive shoes and a stack of books provides a shopaholic with new and exciting feeling. However, there people who does this shopping for therapy, experience waves of irresistible urges to stop inasmuch as they are being flooded with loads of unwanted stuff and rack up and sizeable debts from frequent shopping sprees leading to a consequence that are more problematic and to some extent life threatening.

Unlike other addictions, shopping is socially acceptable and at one point it sometimes is a status symbol. However, because of the current financial crisis that we are in, a little self restraints and will-power to stop the urge will come a long way. But the biggest source of worry is that this type of shopping and spending appears to becoming more and more than a norm, as evidence by the rising numbers of malls, increase in designer stores. For young professionals the motto now is no longer work hard to save for the future rather it is now work and earn hard and you get to spend harder.

So how do you manage the urge and stop yourself in falling into the pit of financial distress? Look for diversion. Search for other activities that would not hurt you pocket. Try tennis, going to the gym or other activities that will certainly make you divert your urge to buy unnecessary things. When going out on shopping, do not buy something just because it is cheap or on sale and leave your credit card at home. Saving up for that one special buy rather than buying lots of little things at once will certainly help you manage your finances.

However, when you feel that there is really something going on in you that make shopping your real therapy, why not face that problem of yours? It may be a crisis, a depleting self confidence or a self-pity issue. Try to ponder on them as ask yourself if the therapy that you know really does help, if not and it re-occurs from time to time, why not find someone who will help you out? That would certainly make you a better person in the end.