With all of this Black Friday hype and Christmas shopping coming up for the next month, I find that my shopping has become a problem… Can I actually get addicted to shopping? My roommate can tell you that every time I have free time you can find me at the mall or online shopping. The thing is I usually don’t even buy anything; it relieves my stress, kind of like a therapy session. Is it possible to be addicted to shopping?
I needed to research this, and it turns out there is actually a term for compulsive shopping… It is called “Oniomania” or one can be considered a “Shopoholic“. The data holds that “only about 6% of the U.S. population is thought to have a shopping addiction.” As well, it can be close to any disorder like anxiety, eating, impulse, or personality disorders. Like most disorders, a main symptom of being a Shopoholic is hiding the problem or denial . Other symptoms are spending over your budget even if you cannot afford it, compulsive buying, impairing your relationships, or thinking about it for almost all hours of the day. This has been considered an addiction “since the 19th century” and continues to be an issue.
In a recent study, researchers discovered that people who have ADHD are more prone to becoming obsessed with shopping. Impulse is a main reason to why one feels the need to shop at all times, especially those with ADHD. “Impulsivity makes it difficult for those with ADHD to think through the consequences of their actions and instead react only to what they are feeling at the present time.” This makes them buy and spend more money without thinking about what can happen if they overspend. As well, another reason why people can become addicted to shopping and more for those with ADHD can be because of depression or anxiety, it can be used to “get away” and to make them feel happy. It is similar to a “natural high”, or “like taking a happy pill”, and chemicals are triggered in the brain almost as if a drug was taken. “The “fight or flight” hormone adrenaline, phenylethylamine and endorphins” are created to make us feel good and relax. These hormones are released when doing something to make us feel good. My old track coach would always announce that after running for a long period of time he would eventually feel this “natural high” that made him feel like he could run forever; he likes to exercise and run so doing something he liked repetitively created this good feeling which people believe shopping can do the same.
So how can you cure this “addiction”? The first typical step is admitting that you have a problem. Therapy sessions are advised, as well as finding new hobbies and ways to spend time doing other activities, it is also strongly urged that people get rid of their checkbooks and credit cards. My stepmom went through a huge spending splurge and made my dad actually take all of her credit cards so she couldn’t spend anymore money. Now, at least my issue isn’t THAT badly where I needed other people to help me… YET AT LEAST.
I suppose that I am not considered a “shopaholic”, I just enjoy looking at the “shiny things I can’t have” pretty much. Sales always get me though, many girls can agree when they see the TOBI 50% off the entire site your attention is instantly caught. Deals and sales increase people’s interest in shopping by a lot. Only 6% of people admit to “almost always” buying items when their on sale, while 60% admitted to occasionally doing so. So while shopping can be an addiction it does not tend to be an extremely likely and common disorder. Just be careful with anything that can cause you to have an obsession, it is possible to become addicted to almost anything if you have any signs of addictive behavior. What would you do if you felt like you were developing an obsession or “natural high” with something you like that could potentially end badly, would you completely stop even if it made you feel better, would you find an alternative “high”, what if it was not as easy to stop as you think?
Works Cited:
“What Is Shopping Addiction?” Addictions. 30 Nov. 2013.
<http://addictions.about.com/od/lesserknownaddictions/a/shoppingadd.htm>
“Shopping Spree, or Addiction?” WebMD. 30 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/shopping-spree-addiction>
“Addictions.com.” Shopping Addiction. 30 Nov. 2013
<http://www.addictions.com/shopping/>
“Survey: Shopping Addiction Statistics.” CreditDonkey. 30 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.creditdonkey.com/shopping-addiction.html>
“ADHD and Shopping Addiction.” Health Central. 3 Dec 2013.
<http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/849319/118483/shopping-addiction/>
I couldn’t relate to this post more. For this reason “Confessions of a Shopaholic” is one of my favorite books. But there are some other reasons for compulsive shopping- boredom, avoidance, depression, loneliness, and symptom substitution to name a few. Another big reason could be obsessive compulsive disorder. One study found that compulsive buying is more frequent in OCD than in their controls. Patients presenting with OCD + compulsive buying show more depressive disorders and drink more alcohol. They are more highly implicated in the items they buy and they are more often disappointed by the items once they possess them.