Signs that you?re a shopaholic

By Ed Biado

Confessions of a Shopaholic, the chick flick based on the chick lit of the same title, is set to hit local theaters anytime soon. To prepare you and your girlfriends for that, The Daily 10 has come up with a simple list for you to assess if you?re a slave to retail, a prey to season sales, a true-blue Rebecca Bloomwood. Ready for the truth? Read on!

1. The first indication of compulsive shopping is when you use shopping to fill an emotional void. Do you go shopping when you?re depressed? Happy? Does buying something even if you don?t need it feels like a quick fix?

2. Another way to spot a shopaholic is with new trends. Do you know someone who always has the latest fashions and gadgets? Or at least, has immediate plans to buy them? This person is always up to date. They may never wear the same thing twice or they may have a new mobile phone every other week. That attitude is a very probable symptom.

3. You can also tell that someone is addicted to shopping when they hide purchases from family and friends. If they lie about their expenses (meaning, they?re telling you that it?s lower than it actually is), then that?s a sign.

4. And good liars, they are. You?ll never know about many outrageous purchases because these are items that the shopaholic never uses anyway. They will have a closet full of unworn clothes, shelves of untouched gadgets, books and anything they can get their hands on.

5. Then, there?s also self-control. When shopping, one should reach a saturation point and feel that enough is enough. Shopaholics also have that feeling, but are quick to dismiss it and still go on and on.

6. In fact, compulsive shoppers are aware that they have a bad habit and they acknowledge it and are upset about it. They may even beat themselves up for that and regret most of their purchases. But that?s until the next time they feel the urge and they?re back being swipe-happy.

7. Binge shopping is like taking Ecstasy. There?s the rush when you?re in the zone and the almost immediate spiraling down depression lane right after. Shopaholics may even feel disoriented after the spree. That?s when realization kicks in that they?ve gone too far and so in debt.

8. Not only are shopaholics buried in debt (either in cards, mortgage or personal loans), they also continue to hit the stores knowing that they?d be deeper in hot water. They tend to forget to pay the necessities like bills and other basic commodities and will use that cash to buy something else.

9. Shopping can also cause relationship problems with family and friends. It might be indirectly caused and is only reflected to the shopaholic?s behavior and demeanor towards people around them. Or, the shopping itself is the subject of disagreements. Either way, excessive shopping leads to relationship trauma.

10. Compulsive shopping can be easily seen when a person feels uneasy when they?re not buying something. This varies in degree among different people. Some are just restless while others are like they?re in their first 48 hours in rehab (read: cold turkey). It?s just like a smoker being deprived of nicotine for an extended period of time.

If you experience at least four of the 10 points, then you are most likely a shopaholic?not the loosely defined shopaholic that is being thrown around by social climbers to self-claim?but a real shopping addiction that isn?t as healthy and glamorous as you think.