A shopaholic is a person that is addicted to spending money. This may be the simple act of spending of money, for the sake of spending money, and it is done on a regular basis. Most shopaholics plan purchases that they are going to make on a daily basis.
Shopaholism, may not be taken seriously, as other addictions are, such as drugs or alcohol, but this is a 'very real ' problem facing people today. Especially with the hard economic times, people are finding themselves in outrageous debt.
An example of a shopaholic activity would be not to sleep thinking of an item for purchase the next day. Becoming irritable and short with family members because there is only one thing on her mind- the purchase for the next day.
Another example, would be to go to menial places to spend money, even if that means going to the grocery store or a drug store- regularly.
Psychological satisfaction:
That once a shopaholic individual has purchased something he feels good for that moment, the 'good feeling' phase goes away after a while. Then he needs to go out and shop again.
Some people go shopping to cope with personal issues going on in their lives. But for a shopaholic they 'need' to shop and become 'obsessed' about shopping. Although It may be a coping mechanism, to avoid things going on in their lives, a shopaholic needs to spend money in order to feel satisfied or feel good. A friend of mine explains that “i feel like I’m in control, even if its temporary.” That' s how she ended up becoming a shopaholic.
Assumptions about the rich:
Many people who heard of this problem, blow it off like it is insignificant. They assume that the rich have so much money that they do not know what to do with that money, so they spend it on unwise choices. It must be noted that this not just a rich problem, but many people at different levels of society are dealing with this addiction.
"A Psychiatric Times survey conducted in December, 2006 revealed that almost 6% of Americans report having this problem." It can happen to anyone. With growing economic hardships, some people are in real trouble.
Purchasing power:
As times have changed regular people have the purchasing power and the ability to consume and purchase goods that they desire. Many years ago we didn’t hear so much about the dependence on shopping as we do today.
The main controversy with this addiction is that people don't really understand it, and may not know anyone who has this problem, but it is 'real' and many people are dealing with this addiction.
