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Are YOU An Internet Shopping Junkie?
by Pat Catalano
There's a new kind of shopping addiction (like we needed another one) that has entered many lives with the advent of the Internet. Now one doesn't need to go out, or be limited by the catalogs delivered to your door. There's a continually expanding list of shopping sites to explore right at your fingertips. The membrane between impulse and purchase has gotten even thinner. To find out if you're an Internet shopping junkie headed for trouble, take the following quiz.
- Have you purchased items on the Internet that you don't need? Look around at all your purchases over the past month. How many do you use? How many of these items have lost their sparkle in the transition from the store shelves to your own shelves?
- Do you shop on the Internet in secret? Perhaps when everyone is asleep or out of the house? Have you ever said you've been doing research or checking e-mail when you're actually shopping?
- Has your Internet purchasing gone beyond your usual budgetary restraints? You know what your budget is. And what it isn't. Have you left your limits behind in the dust? Crossed that invisible line again and again?
- Do you try to regain control over your Internet shopping? Do you find yourself rationing your on-line shopping time? Making deals with yourself or rationalizing to justify yet another purchase?
- Do you hide your credit card bills from your spouse? Do you have explanations and excuses prepared should your spouse find the bills despite your best efforts?
- Does getting and opening the bill frighten you? Are you scared to see what's inside? Does opening it depress you, bother you, or make your heart pound unpleasantly?
- Do you get high with excitement when you go Internet shopping? Is shopping a thrill? Can you feel it in your body? Do you exhibit physical symptoms such as palpitations when you're Internet shopping?
- Has Internet shopping diminished your social life? Do you go on-line and shop instead of calling your friends? Can your friends only reach you on-line? Are you on-line every day, checking out the sales instead of checking in with your friends? Would you rather shop than have coffee with a friend? Have you put shopping ahead of your friendships again and again?
- Do you feel embarrassed by your Internet shopping habit? Do you worry that your friends and family may find out how much you spend on-line? Do you think they won't understand or will think you're out of mind?
- Do you lose track of your purchases and find yourself unable to sort through your credit card statements? Do you know what to expect when you open the bill? Or does the grand total often surprise you by its size? Do you recognize all of the items on your bill?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, keep an eye on yourself. You may be heading for trouble. If you answered yes to more than two of these questions, please browse through the other articles in the Recovery section here on Psybersquare.
Shopping may seem harmless at first. After all, it's not as if it's drugs or alcohol. But any addiction has consequences - for the person addicted as well as for the people closest to the addict, so take steps now to ensure that shopping is not controlling your life. Stop charging on your credit cards and take charge of your life instead.
 
RECOMMENDED READING FROM THE PSYSTORE:
Addictionary: A Primer of Recovery Terms and Concepts from Abstinence to Withdrawal
by Jan R. Wilson, Judith A. Wilson
Our Price: $16.95
"Addictionary provides definitions and meanings to the words and phrases commonly used in recovery groups. Written for anyone interested in recovery from addiction to alcohol or other drugs, food, gambling, sex, tobacco, exercise, work, relationships, and other substances or behaviors." -- Book Description
For a selection of books on this topic, visit the Psystore.
** All prices subject to change without notice
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