The “Smiled Upon” Addiction: An article from Glamour Magazine

“If someone tells you,  you have a problem, cut them off. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.”  Thus begins Glamour magazine’s recent article, 10 things you only know if you’re addicted to sale shopping. Brashly glamorizing addiction to sale shopping, one subcategory of shopping addiction, this piece ranks a close second… Continue reading The “Smiled Upon” Addiction: An article from Glamour Magazine

On Compulsive Buying: And Then There are the Holidays

We’ve been fortunate that Kathleen Gemmell, an eclectic  author and former compulsive buyer offered us a guest post about her own recovery journey which began four years ago, when her son, who could no longer sit by and watch his mother buy herself into oblivion, arranged for an “intervention.”  Kathleen Gemmell loves playing with written… Continue reading On Compulsive Buying: And Then There are the Holidays

Have a Good not a Goods Holiday: Let Go of the Baggage

Are you dreading the holidays? Are wishes, longings, fears, and expectations getting you down? For many people, the end of year holidays are some of the most difficult times of the year, not only challenging, but potentially isolating. Please join psychologist April Lane Benson, expert on compulsive buying disorder and author of To Buy or… Continue reading Have a Good not a Goods Holiday: Let Go of the Baggage

These Shoes and Baggage Fit Most Shopaholics

Touched, tickled, and terribly impressed, I left last Wednesday’s performance of Cheryl Stern’s Shoes and Baggage feeling buoyed and hopeful that compulsive buying may yet really come out of the closet, and this time for good! As this funny, poignant, and thoughtful one-woman musical odyssey opens, the audience is bombarded with a plethora of advertising… Continue reading These Shoes and Baggage Fit Most Shopaholics

Can’t find enough compulsive buying recovery resources? Open this treasure chest!

Have you ever run a Google search to see what compulsive buying self-help resources are out there, but come up with next to nothing? Shopping addiction is definitely a lesser-known, infrequently-discussed, and rarely-diagnosed disease, so finding information about and strategies to battle it can be a real struggle. Fortunately, Debbie Roes has gathered a great… Continue reading Can’t find enough compulsive buying recovery resources? Open this treasure chest!

Afraid of missing out on a purchase? Be savvy to the advertising techniques that get you to spend

Imagine yourself walking into a store, any store: The products are likely displayed in a beautiful array, near the front windows; there are sales people scattered around to help you with anything you need; and there are bright advertisements hanging from the ceilings, pasted on the walls, on stands near the checkout, that scream, “Sale!”… Continue reading Afraid of missing out on a purchase? Be savvy to the advertising techniques that get you to spend

Is online shopping the next danger zone for compulsive buyers?

It might be easier to kick our shopping addictions if the temptations existed only outside our of homes, but with the growing popularity of online shopping, we’re not even safe there. Though there are several papers that focus on compulsive shopping, not as many have factored into their research the impact of online shopping. However,… Continue reading Is online shopping the next danger zone for compulsive buyers?

Tying Together Two More Continents: But This Time As A Psychologist

I’m leaving today for Australia, where I’ll be giving three daylong workshops for Australian psychologists, in the theory and treatment of compulsive buying disorder. Since 2003, when I first launched my website, there has been a good deal of interest in compulsive buying in Australia and I was delighted and grateful to be invited by… Continue reading Tying Together Two More Continents: But This Time As A Psychologist

How Can Advanced Style be a Retreat from Compulsive Buying?

Surrounded at dinner recently by six maverick women, ranging in age from their late 30’s into their 70’s, each dressed in the most creative, non-conformist, ensemble, how could it be that I was writing down the names of thrift stores? Each of these women looked like a million bucks, if not two or three. We… Continue reading How Can Advanced Style be a Retreat from Compulsive Buying?