Do you really need another pair of shoes, or that dress, or those ties? If the answer is yes, then enjoy your purchases and read no further. Likewise, dont bother if you have an unlimited bank account. But if you already have enough shoes you dont wear and a bulging wardrobe complete with matching bills, you may be what psychologists call a binge shopper. Binge shoppers have a way of becoming debtoholics.
We all seek occasional pick-me-ups when were blue or bored. For some people its a drink or a chocolate sundae, for others the proverbial new hat or its equivalent. But binge shoppers, like binge eaters, are under a compulsion far beyond the once-in-a-while treat. Their debts mount and they become locked into a pattern of spending and borrowing, to satisfy dreams for momentary gratification. They know they should stop, but they say they just cant. In this economy, its even more troublesome.
The first step to breaking the pattern is to acknowledge that it exists and to recognize that it is not unique; others have it too. So prevalent is it in our consumer-oriented society, that Debtors Anonymous which has worked out an effective program of shelf-help, is burgeoning. The main steps in the program are like those in Alcoholics Anonymous or other such programs:
