Drugs and alcohol get our “feel good” chemicals going, which can lead to physical dependency when we want to experience that feeling again. Did you know behaviors can have the same result? Things like shopping, sex, lying, stealing, and even eating can lead to addictions that are as tough to beat as any drug. Addiction… Continue reading Similarities Between Behavioral and Substance Addictions
Category: Compulsive Buying
Did Dr. B Have a Relapse?
I returned today from a 13-day trip, with my husband and three other couples, to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. It’s an old colonial town northwest of Mexico City that’s attracted thousands of American, Canadian, and European expats for quite some time now. The climate is superb. Wonderful sounds, both instrumental and natural, fill the… Continue reading Did Dr. B Have a Relapse?
If Your Loved One is a Compulsive Buyer
Whether, When, and How to Intervene Is your loved one a compulsive buyer? 1. How strongly would your loved one agree with these statements? My closet has a number of unopened shopping bags in it. Others might consider me a shopaholic. Much of my life revolves around buying things. I consider myself an impulse… Continue reading If Your Loved One is a Compulsive Buyer
BUI: Buying Under the Influence
We all know that a DUI can result in major consequences, but what about Buying Under the Influence? Learn how to catch yourself before you slip! Well, we’ve just passed the autumnal equinox; summer’s given way to fall. This means we can begin to hope for some relief from the heat. It also means that… Continue reading BUI: Buying Under the Influence
Are You a Shopaholic?
This interview with Dr. Benson appeared on FabOverFifty.com in September, 2011. A psychologist reveals why you may be a compulsive shopper–and not even realize it. What do Mary Todd Lincoln, William Randolph Hearst and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis have in common? Aside from friends in high places and triplicate names, each had an issue with what… Continue reading Are You a Shopaholic?
Spendster Site Scouted
Recently a colleague told me about the Spendster.org website and since she found it interesting, I wanted to check it out. With so many websites on the Internet, it is easy to get lost in the choices and the fancy html designs and I admit that I was a bit skeptical about its utility before… Continue reading Spendster Site Scouted
Slay the Junk Mail Monster! Three Websites That’ll Help
Unsolicited and unwanted credit card offers, catalogs, and magazines all have the potential to derail recovering overshoppers. These three websites will help you to opt-out of lists supplied by consumer credit reporting companies, remove your name from junk mail providers, and enable you to choose whether or not you want to receive mail from companies making… Continue reading Slay the Junk Mail Monster! Three Websites That’ll Help
The Web of Overconsumption Tangles Farther
Four recent reports from three continents—Europe, Africa, and Asia—point to the widening net of shopping addiction. Coupled with my recent post, “Compulsive Buying: A Passage to India?” there’s more and more evidence that it poses a serious and worsening global problem. In a piece in the Austria Times, alarmingly titled “Every fourth Austrian threatened by… Continue reading The Web of Overconsumption Tangles Farther
Compulsive Buying: A Passage to India?
Recently, I discovered an article called “Attention Shopaholics” that was published in The Hindu, an Indian newspaper. To get a better idea about compulsive shopping in an Indian context, I contacted Dr. Sanjay Chugh, who was quoted extensively in the article. He is the Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New… Continue reading Compulsive Buying: A Passage to India?
Response to Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture
As a reforming bookaholic and bargain shopper, I recently borrowed—borrowed, please note—a fascinating audiobook from the library, Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, by Ellen Ruppell Shell. It’s all about consumerism and it focuses particularly on discount stores—which happen to be the site of many of my purchases that I later regret. The book… Continue reading Response to Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture