Confessions of a Shopaholic

March 2006

Do you feel your heart beat faster when you see this 4-letter word plastered on shop windows? Do you feel nauseous around October during the nationwide Mega sale? Then, be prepared. You might be suffering from the same disease that I have. The clinical term for this disease is Compulsive Shopping Addiction or Shopaholism and the one who has acquired this disease is called a “Shopaholic”. Yes, I am a Shopaholic. I am at a stage where I am battling with this disease and hopefully, eventually, be cured of it. But first, how do you know if you are a Shopaholic? There are several criteria in determining if you have Shopaholism. In the US, patients undergo several interviews and even go through hypnosis to determine what stage in the disease. Basically, there are the 10 questions that you must ask yourself. 1 or 2 Yeses are still acceptable for a normal shopper. 3–5 is already a case of mild Shopaholism. 6 onwards is a cause for alarm.

1. Do you shop when you are upset or depressed?

2. Do you buy things you don’t really need?

3. Do you have multiple credit cards with high outstanding amounts?

4. Do you feel excited when shopping, but depressed or anxious at a later point.

5. Do you have many unopened and unused items at home?

6. Do you lie about the amount of money you have spent?

7. Do you continue to shop even if you are in debt?

8. Have your shopping sprees caused issues in your relationships?

9. Do you think often about money and shopping?

10. Do you feel that your shopping has become out of control?

I took the test myself and found that I have answered Yes to 4 questions. Sadly and reluctantly, I have to accept that I am inflicted with this disease. I only discovered that I had this disease when I came across Sophie Kinsella’s novel, Confessions of a Shopaholic. I related so much with the character that I began to reflect on whether I had the same problem. It bothered me so much so I logged on the Internet to search on Shopaholism. Never did I expect to find such information! A group of doctors from Stanford University is doing a study on how many are suffering from this disease. Shopaholism is clinically defined as a psychological disease "motivated by 'irresistible' impulses, characterized by spending that is excessive and inappropriate, has harmful consequences for the individual, and tends to be chronic and stereotyped." Compulsive shoppers "binge buy" -- most often clothes, shoes, makeup, and jewelry -- and then suffer intense guilt. That, in turn, helps trigger another frenzied trip to the mall, and the cycle continues. The study came up with the statistics that one out of 20 is suffering from this disease. You might think that it only afflicts women, but no, there are several reported cases of men Shopaholics. If women concentrate on clothes, shoes, jewelries and fashion accessories, men shopaholics tend to buy CD’s, car accessories, electronics and other gadgets. But you may ask, so what if I am a Shopaholic? As long as I have money to buy, then it’s my problem right? I tell you, it’s not as simple as that. There was a time that I had to think of side businesses to keep up with my shopping habits. It brought out the entrepreneur in me but I was stressed out. There have also been reported cases of broken marriages due to Shopaholism. One patient got fired from her job because she spent most of her time doing online shopping. There are other people who neglect their children and park them in the mall constantly because that is what they need to feed their habit. In my case, our marriage was threatened by this compulsion. My husband often scolded me before for shopping too much. There’s this formula that I use when he asks me about how much I spent shopping. It’s the Actual Price divided by two times the current inflation rate. Let’s just say that the price is sheer fiction. Even now, I am occupying 2/3 of the whole kitchen since I had lots of supply. Some ingredients are near expiration date, as I never get to use them. There was a time I had a compulsion to shop for matching items. I wanted to follow the Matching Principle, you see. It means my blouse should match my pants and my bag should match the color of my belt and shoes. When I was in the Philippines, I had a whole cupboard full of matching items and it was a dilemma for me on how to bring everything here. I ended up having excess baggage. Studies are still being done to find out the root cause of this disease. Some say it is triggered by depression. Some say it is due to environment we live in. For me, I think it is hereditary. My mom is an even worse Shopaholic than I am. When she buys clothes, she buys 5 of the same item in different colors. When I was little, we went grocery shopping every week—and we buy the same items every time. No wonder, at one time, we had 20 cans of sardines and 10 bags of sugar. I grew up in that environment, thinking that buying like that was normal. It is only now that I realize that it is a problem. My mom is now facing some financial problems as her income has not been able to cope with her spending. I am scared that I might face the same problem one day. When she had to part with her belongings, she was able to raise a big amount of money. She was able to fill up a whole warehouse with her belongings. I realize that I don’t want to reach that kind of stage someday, where I have to part with my wonderful things because I am broke. So what should we Shopaholics do to be cured of this disease?

Well, there are some simple steps to follow:

(1) Get rid of your credit cards, checkbooks, and ATM cards before you go shopping. Use only cash.

(2) If you spot something that you would like to purchase, never allow yourself to purchase it on the spot. Instead, walk away and give yourself a “mandatory waiting period” (or if you must-- ask the store to hold it for you. Most stores will hold items for their customers for at least a day). If you still want the item in a few days, then you can go back and make your thought-out purchase.

(3) Make a budget and put it on paper. Give yourself some “mad money” for each month, and do not allow yourself to purchase anything that is not in the budget.

(4) Write down everything you purchase for two weeks; groceries, gas for your car, the electric bill, and even that candy bar from the vending machine! This will make your more conscience of where your hard-earned dollars are going. Being more aware of your spending will also make your more in control.

(5) If you are overwhelmed with debt, contact a credit-counseling agency. There are several non-profit organizations whose goal is to get your out of debt. They will help you consolidate your bills into a smaller monthly payment, and get your credit report in good standing once more.

If you are suffering from a serious case, then you can go to a doctor and he might prescribe you with inhibitor drugs such as Prozac. Yes, there are even drugs for this disease now. It is that serious. So, are you going to be the next Imelda Marcos with her 3,000 pairs of shoes or Princess Diana with her large collection of clothes? Have you even admitted to yourself that you are a potential Shopaholic? Decide now before it’s too late…