Women, particularly, often joke to their friends about covering up their shopping habits. “What? This old thing. No, that’s not new, sure I bought that years ago!” or “I leave the shopping bags in the car until the coast is clear. Why tell him and cause a row?”

Shopping is necessary, of course, and we all need new things at times, but when has the amount you’re spending tipped into regular over-spending and how often are you shopping to deal with negative emotions, rather than just to acquire what you need?

“Shopping addiction is referred to as one of the process addictions,” says Erika Ruigrok, a counsellor with the Rutland Centre in Dublin. “We would talk in terms of substance addictions and process addictions, including any type of behaviour that becomes compulsive. Shopping would fall into the second category.”

Around 5% of people who present for treatment at the Rutland Centre do so because of addictive shopping patterns, she says, and the majority of those are women. “We have worked with people where it is a primary presenting issue, and we’ve worked with people where it has been a difficulty that’s emerged when they’ve come in for treatment for something else. It sometimes becomes apparent that shopping is an issue as well.”

The reason for the small number presenting with shopping addiction is that it primarily affects women, and women tend to present for treatment a little less frequently or a little further on (in the addiction). “This can be because of very practical issues, like having dependents to care for at home,” she says.

HOW YOU KNOW YOU’RE ADDICTED

So how would you know if you are addicted to shopping, rather than just fond of the occasional bit of “retail therapy”?

“There are several indicators that would be common to all addictions,” she says. Preoccupation with the behaviour is the first. “You’d think a lot about shopping, including how you might control your shopping,” she says. “If you’re not able to control how much you buy it would be a fair indication that it is problematic territory for you too.

“In addiction, we talk about ‘the behaviour continuing despite adverse consequences’. This means that the person can’t curb their shopping, even though it means bills aren’t being paid at home,” says Erika.

Feeling shame or guilt around shopping but still doing it would be another indicator.

“Also, when shopping becomes a problem, the person may become quite isolated in it and quite secretive about it. They might hide stuff that they’ve bought or they might hide the bills, or they may be reluctant to go shopping in the company of other people.

“Mood swings, stress, unhappiness and depression can then be triggered as the situation impacts more on the person’s or the family’s finances.”

are WOMEN MORE AFFECTED?

But are women really more affected by shopping addiction than men? “The research would say that it is more common among women, but there would be quite a bit of debate about it,” she says. “It might be that men identify as collectors, rather than shoppers.”

Items shopped for are generally clothes, shoes and jewellery. “Down the line, though, if the shopping crosses over into addiction the items bought can be more diffuse; for example, household goods.”

USING SHOPPING TO MANAGE ANXIETY

When a person is addicted to shopping, it may be because they are using the activity to manage their mood or their anxiety, she states.

“What people find is that they experience high levels of anxiety and they have learned to manage that anxiety by the behaviour (the shopping), so the urge to shop gradually increases, and once they go and shop there is a short-term release from the anxiety.” Often the anticipation of the activity could be a whole process in itself, she says.

Stages of addiction

“People describe it as going through phases. There’s the anticipation of the shopping, having the urge, then committing to it and preparing to shop, thinking about when they’ll go and what cards they’ll use.

“The shopping event itself might be pretty short but exciting and the aftermath might bring very short-term relief, but this would be quickly followed by feelings of shame, disappointment and let-down. People might be spending a lot of money shopping but also a lot of time on it, to the extent that it is affecting other activities.”

Hiding shopping bags isn’t the best sign, she says. “Addiction thrives on secrecy, it needs secrecy. If someone was hiding bottles we’d figure that was a problem and we’d be right to figure so.”

PRACTICAL STEPS TO COMBAT ADDICTION

The first step is to recognise the fact that shopping is a problem for you, she says. “There can then be very practical steps taken straight away; for example, getting rid of your credit cards.

“You could carry out an ‘internet detox’ also. That is, commit to staying away from the internet. Block yourself out of the sites you’ve been using if you need to, as shopping is similar to gambling now in terms of accessability – it can be done 24/7 online. You don’t have to physically go to shops.”

Another strategy is to make a plan to only shop with someone you trust. “Shop with someone who is aware of your difficulties. This will involve other people supporting you,” she says.

the path to RECOVERY

Recovery, Erika says, from the Rutland Centre point of view, is not so much about giving up the substance or the behaviour but instead finding a new way of living and more meaningful ways to spend your leisure time that make it easier to not use or spend.

“The person might need professional help for underlying anxiety or depression, however. Underlying anxiety or depression is quite common in all addictions, including shopping, so it might be that the person needs to seek professional help,” says Erika.

A GP can be a good first port of call if you know you have a problem with uncontrolled shopping, but you can also seek advice yourself from an addiction counsellor or treatment centre.

“Knowing that help is out there is important. In the Rutland Centre – and other centres round the country – we accept direct referrals: you don’t need a doctor’s letter.”

Most of the treatment centres that work with substance addiction like alcohol or drugs, also work with behaviour addiction, she adds.

“There are one-to-one addiction counsellors around the country and the Association of Addiction Counsellors (ACAI) has a website that has a search function where you can look for local accredited counsellors in your area. They have specialist training and are accredited by the ACAI.”

The Rutland Centre promotes a 12-step solution.“It’s the cornerstone of what we do, but it’s not all that we do. The approach used while in the treatment centre can be continued when the person goes home if they’ve been an in-patient for a while, because there are 12-step meetings in most localities; for instance through Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Gamblers Anonymous (GA).

“While there aren’t any meetings specific to shopping, GA meetings can be helpful, as the thinking is often similar.

The 12-step programme is about fellowship and support on an ongoing basis, she says.

“It offers a holistic approach that works in terms of the cognitive understanding of addiction and has a spiritual element that helps the person to reconnect with the self that has been damaged in the course of addiction.”

There are other organisations like Smart Recovery and Life Ring, that offer a peer-support function in some parts of the country too.

ADDICTION AFFECTS ALL CLASSES

Addiction is no respecter of livelihood, class or creed, she says. “Neither is it just a city phenomenon. There isn’t a community in Ireland that isn’t affected by addiction.”

Debtors Anonymous is a 12-step group that can also help if you’re in financial trouble because of your shopping addiction, but there are very few of these groups around the country, she says.

GETS WORSE OVER TIME

“The important thing to remember is that there is help out there and it can be effective. Also an addiction does get worse over time if it isn’t tackled. With any addiction people will, over time, see an increase in what it takes to get the same level of pleasure. It might be that it starts out with a new top in Penneys, but it could go to something in the hundreds of euro range eventually.

“It’s the same as a person needing more alcohol for the person to feel the same, or those who gamble needing to spend more to get the same effect,” says Erika. CL

Visit www.addictioncounsellors.ie.

Participants wanted for sleep-related online survey

Have you ever wondered whether using your phone late at night is disrupting how early you fall asleep?

The Chronobiology and Sleep Research Laboratory at Maynooth University is examining whether individuals’ routine exposure to light at night results in a delay in falling asleep, whether it is effecting the overall quality of their sleep and if this affects their physical and mental wellbeing.

Numerous studies have found that shift workers (individuals who work during the night), who are exposed to acute levels of light at night are at risk of developing cancer and depressive disorders.

Maynooth University seeks to understand if there is a link between light at night and health outcomes in the general population.

To investigate this, they are looking for individuals to complete a 25-minute survey anonymously, which can be found at goo.gl/dGNwzv. Any questions can be directed to doctoral researcher Michael Cleary Gaffney at michael.clearygaffney@mu.ie.