Shopping Addiction

How Serious is a Shopping Addiction?

How often do you shop online? Look: Shopping addictions are a serious behavioural condition. In most cases, it is regarded as a socially accepted addiction. The question is to what extent can it be acceptable?

Shopping addiction has become more rampant due to the advancement in technology, social media platforms and the internet. Nowadays, there is no need to visit your favourite store to purchase an item. All you have to do is scroll the web to buy an item and have it delivered to your doorstep.

Understanding Shopping Addiction

Oniomania also referred to as shopping addictions or compulsive shopping is a behavioural addiction that is associated with the strong desire to buy things. Shopping addicts shop to achieve pleasure and avoid negative feelings such as anxiety and depression. Uncontrolled oniomania can lead to serious problems in different aspects of your life.

How does a Shopping addiction affect your life?

It is undeniably true that shopping trips are therapeutic. It can effectively relieve negative feelings such as anxiety, sadness, and anger. However, it can negatively impact your life if left uncontrolled.

Here’s how it affects your life:

Problems with finances

 Real-time shopaholics who have a shopping addiction, tend to spend way over the budget which can lead to debts and deep financial trouble. An addict will do everything to feed the addiction including borrowing money from friends, families, banks and other forms of lenders to fuel their compulsive shopping habit. In the long run, they may even develop a compulsive buying disorder, and they won’t be able to pay for their debts which can result in serious legal problems.

Less focus 

 If you’re a shopping addict, you couldn’t think of anything else but buy. You will not be able to focus on work and other tasks which can lead to unemployment. If you are addicted to shopping, you will notice that even the simplest task is hard to comply due to uncontrollable addiction behaviour.

Health complications

People diagnosed with shopping addiction have co-occurring mental conditions such as depression and anxiety which can worsen if addiction is untreated. Anxiety is also one of the shopping addiction symptoms. Additionally, when seeking treatment for this type of addiction, you will experience the side effects of medications on your health.

Impaired relationships

Due to compulsive shopping, you may have impaired relationships due to neglect of duties and unable to pay debts. It can lead to forgetting your responsibilities and obligations and losing focus at all times.

Consequences

 One of the biggest complications to your life is debts. You may face legal issues as you won’t be able to pay it. This will have a big effect on your credit score which can prevent you from acquiring finance in the future.

There is no doubt that shopping addiction can negatively impact your life. It is becoming a bigger issue, especially now in the era of digital shopping. However, there are forms of addiction treatment and therapy that can aid in your recovery. Compulsive shoppers need not worry as this condition is treatable. There are simple yet big steps you can do to overcome your abnormal shopping spree such as cutting up your credit cards, carrying cash only, avoiding temptations, and reminding yourself to focus on larger goals.