FROM SHOPAHOLIC TO HOARDER

Bridget C. Williams

The first step is to confess that you are and deal with it.  This takes time and years to get out of.  I know it’s like a roller coaster ride, but you must take the necessary steps and get the help you need to overcome this.

A Shopaholic is:

• Shopping/spending habits causing emotional distress or chaos in one’s life.

• Having arguments with others regarding shopping or spending habits.

• Feeling lost without credit cards.

• Buying items on that would not be bought with cash.

• Spending causes a rush of euphoria and anxiety at the same time.

• Spending or shopping feels like a reckless or forbidden act.

• Feeling guilty, ashamed, embarrassed or confused after shopping or spending money. Many purchases are never used.

• Lying to others about what was bought or how much money was spent.

• Thinking excessively about money.

• Spending a lot of time juggling accounts and bills to accommodate spending.

  Those who have never suffered from being a Shopaholic cannot understand the problem. They don’t know what it’s like to see something and feel the urge to buy it now. They don’t know the rush from shopping and subsequent nausea from the guilt of having spent more money they do not have. At the height of my spending, I had a love-hate relationship with my credit cards. I knew that what I was doing was destroying my life, but I felt powerless to stop. The only thing that gave me comfort was buying new Stuff.  I was out of Control.