shopaholic

I think I was brought up with the idea that one should never spend money on oneself to buy something that wasn't strictly necessary. Whenever I did I got that - you know - 'sad look' from my mother! It was OK to spend a little on a present that made someone happy but even that was often met with "Thank you, but I would have been just as happy with some little thing, you know!" You can't win with parents, always. Sometimes their guilty feelings are passed on to their kids, willy nilly. Now, dammit, *I* cannot buy stuff for myself without feeling guilty (though I do ... and sometimes look at things and say, quite reasonably, "Why ever did I buy that?")

To a point. One colleague at work even joked that the reason I had children was so that I'd have some other excuse to go shopping. But I have way too many things, so I don't shop much any more unless I need something. Books are the exception...

For sure! There have been times when I have felt a bit blue and I would do one of two things, eat chocolate to excess or go shopping and would only feel better temporarily because I didn’t go into the reason for my sadness but attempted to fill my void with food or ‘stuff’. It was a friend of mine that pointed out to me that not dealing with your pain adequately can be psychologically damaging and she made me aware of I was doing. I still have the temptation to reach for a chocolate bar or my purse whenever I feel sad but I am getting better at recognising the signs now and to deal with my feelings appropriately.

That is a bad thing to suffer from.There is so much help available these days.It is as bad as gambling or drinking to much .There was a programme on tv showing this woman maxed out on all her credit cards and still spending.I smoke a few ciggies aday some addictions can be beaten and others take a long time to recover from.I thinkit is in all off us ,just hope it has not come out to much in me.I always say you never know when it will be your turn to suffer addiction.My friends daughter gave up chocolate for lent and ended up with anorexia,like her mother said she was hooked.she is recovering but she was 13 when she was diagnosed and she is know 16 so it was right through the growing stage for a young girl.Sad,

I like shopping but I never bought anything to cover up things. I am not addicted to shopping but I do like to shop. Some people do like to shop to make them happy and they are addicted to. I do like to buy pretty things when I have the money. But if I don't have the money I have to wait. If you don't have the money what do you do when you can't buy something?

From time to time in the past I would like to buy a small thing for myself and it would be to make myself feel better. You know though it never really did once you got it home. However, I have never been a shopolic and today I can't say I truly hate shopping. I have learned and I only buy things I need because material things will never make you feel happy or contented.

I have dealt with fatigue and boredom by shopping in the past. It is easy to do because it is part of being a good consumer in a consumer society. I also have used shopping as an excuse to get out of doing things. There are many things that can become addictions.

geez, yeah.. but i promised myself to buy only things that were'nt too expensive so i won't regret it later.. shopping is really an outlet sometimes and you can do it when you're alone

No, I've never liked shopping. I've been rather poor all my life and every time I broke down and bought something I wanted, something bad happened and I wished that I had that money back to help me out of the latest disaster. So I have a real aversion to shopping, I doubt I would ever get addicted to it. I can understand how someone could, though. I am at the point where I can enjoy a little shopping sometimes but I still feel guilty when I buy something I don't really need. Can one be addicted to thrift?

Shopping has always been a bit of a weakness for me. I control it pretty well though. It always feels good to buy something new and yes..it can make me feel better when I'm down.

I think we have all been there. I know that the first time I got my Citi Card, and a $1500 spending limit.. I went a little crazy one day when I was depressed and spent $300 in about 20 minutes at the mall. I stopped in Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, Express, Macy's, and a few other pretty expensive places. It was exciting and thrilling picking out the things I was buying, but once I got to the register and once I got home and had all of these new clothes that I knew I really didn't need.. I definitely felt a pang of guilt. Of course, I didn't return any of it, like I should have the day after.. And with a skyrocketed APR, I'm probably still technically paying these clothes off.. These "urges" are pretty under control now, though, thankfully. Plus I just shut down my credit card, so even if I wanted to go *splurge* I really wouldn't have the money to do so anyhow, credit or not.

I did indeed go this phase, and under similar circumstances as what you've described. It passed, which is good, but it passed only when I dug myself out of a very unhappy and detrimental situation. Karen

hi savypat, Oh yes I do like that book from Sophie Kinsella. I have watched the movie version of it too. Yes, I do feel that in some point... I have been a compulsive buyer. I was buying things that I don't even need at all. I really fall for pretty things that doesn't have any great value and I feel bad about it.

I'm like that everytime I go in a shop, now seriously I can't leave a shop without buying something I like... Except if the shopkeeper is really rude or in a bad mood to serve any costumers. Once I went in a shop to buy some candy and a woman said: ''I won't choose the chocolate you want, never ask me for a particular candy flavor understood?!'' Fortunately she got fired. Also regard the shopping addicted thing, that's why mum doesn't want to go shopping with me :)) I always buy to much...

I was at one time in my life addicted to shopping. The word shopping alone can drive me frenzy and I would hope from one mall to the other just to satisfy my addiction. I will buy anything that catches my eyes. My home become a junk yard for goods that I have no use of and some are kept on the shelves for months collecting dust. This only stop when my bank accounts went red. I am glad I have restored to normal life. My addiction is diverted to net surfing instead.