[Just Jen]

I make bad decisions and shoplift. Does anyone takes here have this issue, how are you working through it? What helps? Share?

[Altered Moment]

I had a friend who let me move into his apartment with him after I got divorced. He helped me out in lots of ways. After awhile his son moved in with us. All of a sudden little things would come up missing. CD's that he would sell at replay records. Change we would leave laying around would be gone. We confronted him and he would lie through his teeth. I am convinced he didn't even know he was lying. He believed himself.

My friend got a girl friend and moved out and I took over the apartment. The son was still there and even though I wanted to kick him out I couldn't because he was my friends son and my friend had really helped me out. Well then the son got a girl friend got married and moved out. A couple of months later I noticed that all this stuff I had stashed under my bed and in my closet was missing. About 2000 worth of stuff. The worst was my camera equipment because it meant so much to me. I was heartbroken and extremely pissed.

I talked to his wife who knew him by now and she said you know he took it why don't you just beat the crap out of him. I confronted him and he of course lied through his teeth. I came to withing a hair of beating the crap out of him but ended up walking away and chalking it up to life experience. I have had lots of tools and things stolen over the years. I can not tell you how violated and betrayed you feel when it happens even if you have no idea who did it.

Another friend of our was a manager at a gas station/ mini mart and she gave him a job and a chance. Well she had him on video stealing from the cash register and fired him. He lied through his teeth even while watching the video of him doing it. He was so bad I would call him a sociopath. At first I thought he was supported a drug habit. He did smoke pot and do some drugs but that was not it. He had a compulsion. I don't know whatever happened to him. He was a con and could win people over until he burned them.

I have known ex heroin addicts that have told me that they learn to become expert shop lifters, liars, and cons. Anything to support the habit. Hard to unlearn.

Is it a habit you are supporting? or an overwhelming compulsion?

[Just Jen]

I have been the victim of theft more than once, my ex became a heroin addict, nothing was off limits to him. Terrible illness.
My compulsion to steal is something I'm working on. As I posted in another thread. I am at rock bottom, I don't want to get worse. I feel I can go forward and be honest, absolutely no crime. But it will be WORK
I appreciate this forum, thanks for posting.
Thieves SUCK, I don't wanna be a thief

[Altered Moment]

Well I would call it a sickness and doesn't make you a bad person. Something you need help with. Can you go to therapy?

[eskielover]

Thought you would be interested in this article on the cost that shoplifting is to retail stores & they pass it on to the consumers....so shoplifting doesn't just hurt the store, it hurts all the consumers that shop there. Scroll down to the article over the picture that comes up.
Calculate the Cost of Shoplifting and Employee Theft by Fred Tarasoff

[Altered Moment]

A guy who lives across the street from me has a 22 year old son who lives with him. The other night there were five state troopers and the narcotics team searching the house. Turns out the kid had about 3000 bucks worth of merchandise from wal mart. He would just walk straight out of the store with a big screen TV. It took a couple of months to catch up to him. Very easy to do. The magnet readers were turned off. An employee just happened to see him one time. Since the narcotics team was involved I strongly suspect he was supporting a heroin habit. As Jen said with a heroin addict there are no limits. It's a felony but we don't know what his sentence will end up being or even what the charges are yet.

[Just Jen]

Thank you EskieLover, I read the article. I appreciate you posting it