[mycatsniffy]

is it possible to be addicted to shopping? I always have the need to go to the mall and buy a new shirt. when I do it, I feel as if im getting high and it makes me feel really good... if I don't go, I crash and crave a new pair of jeans or a pretty necklace. am I an addict?

[BPDlasthouse]

Yes I think it is possible to be addicted to shopping. If it is having consequences on your life then it is a problem. If you experience obsessions to shop, find it difficult to resist your urges to shop, and find yourself going shopping even when you know you shouldn't/ don't want to, then it's an addiction.

I've experienced this myself. I would promise myself I would stick to a budget I'd set for myself for the week, and then wind up (almost unconsciously) in a shop buying the place up. The pull was enormous. I'm on top of it now, but I have to keep an eye on it. When the obsession is on me to shop, or when I know I am feeling susceptible to shopping I stay away from certain shops. Like an alcoholic who stays away from one drink a day at a time, so too do I stay away from certain shops a day at a time.

[Christina86]

Well, addictions affect brain chemistry, the "happy" neurotransmitters. Yes, I know many people who would get "high" on shopping - the same as a gambling addiction. Both of them involve spending money, and have the risk of losing a lot - your money, for one.

So if you think you have an addiction, and it's not exactly possible to NOT shop since we need to buy food and clothing - what can you do to manage the risk, to prevent yourself from going broke and from becoming impossibly addicted?