Compulsive spending, better known as shopping addiction or shopaholism, is a disorder that makes people invest excessive time, energy, and money to shop. Although this is not an official diagnosis, it resembles other addictions due to the existing addictive and compulsive factors that can cause severe financial, social, and personal problems. As serious as this disorder may appear, compulsive spending can be treated with proper therapy and counseling services.
Often, this disorder responds to an underlying emotional need that demands to be filled with something. Therapy can help people identify their problems and find proper solutions to soothe that addictive compulsion. However, the main goal of counseling is to incorporate adaptive skills into the addict´s life, leading to a more balanced and less self-destructive lifestyle.
This objective can be achieved through a series of therapy methods, such as mindfulness techniques, cognitive-behavioral therapy, couples counseling, etc. In addition, shopaholics may benefit from financial counseling in order to pay off debts or manage a budget.
However, these methods will have no result if the affected does not understand and/or recognize their shopping addiction by learning how it affects their surroundings, knowing the long-term effects of the addiction, and accepting the emotional causes.
By seeking counseling services, the patient will begin to make behavioral changes, including:
· Learning about triggers
· Cutting down on shopping
· Avoiding shopping alone
· Getting involved in other activities
· Making a list of environments to avoid
· Avoiding mail or email promotions and catalogs
· Tracking progress
Contact us at 905.660.9284 or email us at mindsetfirst@yahoo.com for more information about compulsive spending and shopping addiction.