The Healthy Shopper

Are you worried that you or someone you know might develop an addiction problem? The truth is, your worries are valid, but addiction can be prevented even before it starts.

When you put in the right measures to prevent addiction, you are safeguarding your health in different ways. Here are some actionable steps you can take to prevent addiction.

Don’t bow to peer pressure

One of the major reasons why people get addicted is because of the people they hang out with. For instance, if you keep close company with people who abuse drugs or alcohol, you are likely to do the same even without being forced.

You may not want to be left out, and you will find yourself abusing these substances which can lead to addiction in the long run.

Set aside time for self-care to combat stress

Another way to prevent addiction is to create ample time for self-care. Sometimes, people don’t care about taking out time to rest, which could make them addicted in the long run.

When your body doesn’t effectively deal with stress, you might engage in habits or unhealthy decisions that can make you addicted.

Eat a nutritious diet

When it comes to preventing addiction, taking a nutritious diet also helps you achieve this. Your body needs the ideal combination of nutrients to function optimally. When you don’t pay attention to what you eat, it can affect you to the point where you engage in unhealthy habits.

Develop good relationships with friends and family

When you maintain close ties with family and friends, there is a reduced chance that you will get addicted.

Your relationship with family and friends will help you deal with life pressures as they come. This means that you don’t have to be overburdened because you have people who will share your pain and struggles with you.

Learn coping mechanisms

Some people abuse substances anytime they want to deal with negative feelings, and this can make them addicted in the long run. Learn how to channel your feelings the right way by exercising, talking to a trusted person, journaling, etc.

It is not so much of a problem to identify people that are having an addiction or tending towards one. Their signs and symptoms are usually evident to people who are closer to them. These signs could be behavioral, physical, or psychological.

Addictions are broadly classified into substance and behavioral addictions. Behavioral addiction is the obsessive liking that an individual has towards engaging in an act or behavior. Some examples are; sex, gambling, video gaming, parting, work, exercising, love, social media addiction, and a few others.

On the contrary, substance addiction is an uncontrollable urge that an individual has toward using highly addictive drugs and substances.

It is characterized by drug overdose, drug misuse, and serious withdrawal symptoms. Substances that are usually abused include opium, alcohol, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, etc.

Whichever the case may be, there are always a couple of similar traits that addicts will exhibit.

It is only normal that some behavioral addictions are hard to discover with addicts because they are relatively shameful, and addicts prefer them to stay out of sight. Friends and close relatives should be closer than ever to people exhibiting some or all of the following signs of addiction.

Physical signs 

Physical signs of an addiction are common to people who overly abuse substances and a few behavioral addicts.

They are usually side effects of drug overdose and withdrawal from addiction. They include slurred speech, weight loss, body odor, loss of consciousness, aggression, agitation, and they usually look unkempt.

Behavioral signs

Behavioral signs of an addiction are characterized by loss of control, need to keep secrets from close pals, obsessive thinking and relapse to actions or drugs, inability to cut back even in grievous pain. These signs are common to all forms of addiction, be it behavioral or substance-induced.

Psychological signs

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Paranoia
• Mood swing
• Emotional breakdown
• Trauma

Physical health signs

• Insomnia
• Loss of appetite
• Headache
• Fever
• Seizure
• Respiratory disease and difficult breathing
• Cardiovascular and heart infection  
• Loss of sight or partial blindness

Mental health signs

• Hallucination
• Loss of coordination
• Shakiness
• Impaired sense of motivation and reward
• Changes in attitude and personality

Shopping can be both exciting and dissatisfying depending on who is shopping and how the shopping is done.

In general, it has proven to be an enjoyable moment for kids and adults in various countries. Some people even use shopping to ease stress and as a way to get out to keep up the Jonessess.

The advent of eCommerce shopping like Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, and the rest of them has made shopping a lot easier to do from the comfort of your home.

Smart shoppers understand that every activity and niche in life has its complexities and know how to get the best off them. Shoppers should consider a thing or two when going shopping, whether online or conventional.

To begin, have a list of what to buy to avoid getting things that are not as important or spending beyond what they can afford.

This can prove to be very useful for people who get the urge to buy things on impulse instead of planning their purchase. Putting the things you want to buy in writing will not only help you cut irrelevances but also not forget the most important things.

In addition, to maximize your shopping experience, you should get a detailed budget of how much you will like to spend on every single item on your list.

Although budgets are not always realistic, they provide a clear path on how you should spend based on estimates and the shopper’s expectations. Low-income earners should try this to cut down impulse buying and unplanned bills settlement.

Furthermore, try shopping at reputable stores where customer’s interests are prioritized.

Most of the big names earned their reputation by providing quality products and ensuring customer satisfaction. Not to say that startups are not to be trusted, but you should only trust reputable businesses to avoid scams.

In conclusion, avoid shopping online if you don’t get enough reviews and recommendations from people who already used them.

A lot of people get fake products and have their money swiped in the name of online shopping. Digital shopping scam is no news anymore, so shoppers should endeavor to stay safe by thoroughly investigating source before transacting.

In recent years, excessive and compulsive shopping is being recognized by mental health experts as a behavioral addiction.

Development of shopping addiction in some people

Obsessive-compulsive behavior of shopping addiction which is impacting a growing number of people is studied to have four phases that keep repeating:

Anticipation phase: In this phase a person develops persistent feelings and obsessive thoughts about one particular item or with a single action around shopping.

Preparation phase: In this phase preparation and planning happens. The person constantly thinks about things such as where to buy, how to go there, and which credit cards to use

Shopping phase: This execution phase where the actual experience of shopping happens generally includes intense feelings of exhilaration.

Spending phase: Paying for the purchase comes immediately after shopping. This phase is said to generate feelings of regret and guilt leading to feelings of sadness and depression. To overcome these negative feelings, the person goes back to the vicious cycle of the four phases.

Characteristics of shopping addiction

People with shopping behavior issues have certain characteristics. These include:

• Using shopping as a coping mechanism to numb emotional pain
• Being secretive about their shopping trips
• Urge for shopping triggered by stress factors such as low self-esteem, feelings of loneliness, and other negative emotions
• Impulse buying to the point where their shelves are filled with unopened items.
• Experiencing a rush of euphoria from purchasing the process rather than from owning the item
• Frequent use of credit card to post-pone the stress of paying the debt to the immediate gratification and the euphoria of purchasing experience
• Buying followed by feelings of remorse and guilt and remorse which  in turn could trigger more shopping, making this a vicious cycle

Consequences of shopping addiction

In addition to the economic costs associated with the buying problem, experts believe it to being a true mental health disorder. This is because abnormal shopping behavior continues or even intensifies in spite of clearly noticeable negative consequences. The consequences may include:

• Mental agony and distress including guilt and remorse
• Too much time devoted to the buying process
• Overspending and going into debt
• Job-related problems due to online shopping
• Social problems as a result of excess spending, especially marital discord and divorce

Treatment to the problem

While there is no standard treatment for shopping addiction, medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are the two common options.

Studies that tested the use of medication generally used to treat anxiety and depression to treat shopping addiction did not give consistent results. Research is still ongoing.  

A common method of treatment is cognitive-behavioral therapy.  This therapy involves a process of identifying and correcting problem behaviors connected with the way a person thinks, behaves, and feels, all of which might be contributing to their addiction or compulsive behaviors related to shopping.

Everyone enjoys a good shopping experience. In fact, it is an essential part of regular life. It also feels good to go on a stroll in the mall, or finding a favorite item on sale. But how to balance a retail pick-me-up therapy with the extreme shopping addiction or compulsive behavior in some people, turning the issue into even addiction in a few of them.

Shopping addiction or spending behavior problem has specific terms. The terms are Shopaholism, Oniomania, or Compulsive Buying Disorder (CBD). Explained in everyday language, it is a behavioral disorder characterized by an obsession and a very strong impulse to buy things.

This excessive part of the buying behavior, an otherwise normal action, results in negative consequences. If left unchecked, it can drag people into severe financial problems and social problems similar to other well-known addictions like alcoholism and gambling addiction.

Compared to other types of addiction, shopping addiction often goes undetected by family and friends till debt becomes unmanageable or till it leads to other issues that bring the underlying problem to light.

It is essential to understand that people with Compulsive Buying Disorder usually also suffer from other mental health issues. It could be that abnormal shopping impulses are the person’s way of handling anxiety, depression, or bad moods. However, as with other addictions, excessive buying activity over a long period of time can make people even worse due to the inevitable consequences such as debt and social issues.

Studies identified an observational method to diagnose shopping addiction by looking for behavioral patterns such as:

• Frequent fights and arguments about money with loved ones
• Maxing out or exceeding credit card limits
• Taking several lines of credit or loans
• Frequent overdrafts on debit cards
• Asking friends and family for money without a valid reason.

Unfortunately, people with extreme patterns of compulsive shopping behavior who are faced with piling debt could even resort to lying, theft, or financial fraud to continue with their addiction.

Due to a lack of sufficient research into shopping addiction, it is not recognized as a mental health disorder yet. Scientists are still debating whether compulsive and excessive buying should be considered as an impulse-control, obsessive-compulsive, or addictive disorder. Bue, many health care professionals agree that compulsive shopping has all the characters of a process addiction associated with mental health issues.

People with a shopping addiction usually shop alone, even if their friends share their love of shopping. For them, it’s a private pleasure, and they may feel embarrassed about their unusual behavior.

The first step to get help is to acknowledge that you have a problem related to shopping which is not normal. Once you take this step, you will have the motivation to look for help. Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is a recommended method of treatment. It involves identifying and correcting problems associated with the way people feel, think and behave that are related to the addiction or compulsive behaviours.

The basic purpose of shopping, is to purchase items which you need. The fundamental item which validates your shopping is money.

Therefore, if you have money, you can purchase whatever you want to. There are some people who show good habits and mental health acts when they are shopping, and there are those who find it totally impossible to control themselves.

People who are not addicted to shopping are meticulous in doing so. What they do prior to shopping is, they make a list of the items they need, and they see if it fits with their budget. They also set a spending limit, so that they would not exceed their budget.

In addition to this, people who are not addicted to shopping have a good sense of what is necessary, and what is not, so they shop in line with that. These set of people are very structured when it comes to spending.

For those who are addicted to shopping, their case is totally different. First off, they do not make concrete plans as regards shopping. They are moved by the items in the store where they are going to.

They do not have a budget for their spending, and a good number of times, they go for what is necessary.

Usually, when they are done shopping, and they are going through the items at home, they discover they had left out an important item, and at this point, their money would have been exhausted.

The downside of shopping addiction is, if care is not taken, this set of people can go to the length of stealing money or defrauding people, so that they can satisfy their addiction needs.

Shopping addicts are so unpredictable, one point they want to buy something, and the next, they have changed their mind. This happens basically because they do not know what they want.

To wrap it up, people who have shopping addiction tend to pick up quarrels and disagreement with the shop attendants, and the reason for this is not far-fetched, it is because their minds are not usually made up.