Have you noticed that you’ve developed an insatiable appetite for buying things lately?
Shopping addiction, also known as shopaholism or compulsive shopping, isn’t common, considering that it affects about 5 percent of the U.S. population. It’s, though, a common problem among affluent people, because to be a compulsive shopper you need to have the money (or credit lines) to spend.
There are a couple of well-known causes of shopping addiction, but there’s an emerging one: the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you thought that the coronavirus only causes deaths, illnesses, joblessness, and economic devastation, think again. In this article, we’re telling you about the different ways the pandemic is triggering shopping addictions.
Read on!
Shopping Online Is the “Only Way” to Shop Safely
Although brick-and-mortar stores are gradually reopening after several months of lockdown, online shopping is still the safest way to buy stuff. When physical stores were not open, Amazon and other e-retailers were the go-to shopping centers. This hasn’t changed.
You’re probably wondering how in-store shopping and online shopping are any different in terms of causing a shopping addiction.
Well, unlike online shopping, in-store shopping has a “reality-check” aspect to it. If you go to a store to buy two items, you will be acutely aware that you’re buying more items than you needed. Online, with the convenience of adding items to your cart without moving an inch, is much easier to lose the self-awareness you need to stay on budget.
Plus, in-store, there’s the option to pay in cash. When you pay in cash, you’re not as likely to go overspend money since you could be having a fixed amount. But when you’re shopping online, you need a digital wallet. As long as you’ve got some cash in the wallet, you can pay for items.
Staying Indoors with Little to Do
Before the coronavirus reached our shores, most people looked forward to staying indoors for a day or two with nothing to do but sleep, eat, and watch television.
After the pandemic, staying home, sleeping, eating and TV became the order of the day. What do you turn to when you have nothing else to do?
Enter online shopping.
You could go online with no intention to buy anything, but somehow you end on Amazon, scrolling through endless pages of products. What are the odds that one or two items end up on a shopping cart? Quite high.
Getting Help
When you think of a rehab facility like Hope Rising Detox, you’re probably also thinking of people who need help for alcohol and/or drug and substance abuse.
It’s true that rehab facilities commonly provide treatment services for alcoholics and drug addicts, but they also treat compulsive shopping addicts. Shopping addiction resembles other addictive disorders in terms of how they affect the human body.
Find a facility that offers shopping addiction rehab, but first, you need to identify whether you’re suffering from this addiction. Look out for shopping addiction warning signs.
You Can Beat Your Shopping Addiction
A shopping addiction might not sound as dangerous as a cocaine or alcohol addiction, but it’s just as dangerous. The good news is it isn’t a life sentence. You can defeat it.
All the best and keep reading our blog for more helpful advice.
