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Shopping addiction often occurs similar to a seizure. It is often associated with certain triggers. This can include stress and frustration, among other things. Everyone knows the situation of the so-called "frustration purchase". Trouble in the office or stress with the partner, then gladly on-line or however in the shopping centre a not compellingly needed pair of shoes or a DVD is bought. In principle, such frustration purchases are unproblematic, they are regarded as so-called compensatory actions and have the function of suppressing problems and eliminating frustration for a short time. Such a compensatory action may not sound reasonable at first, but it is a normal mechanism of the human psyche. If a person would immediately deal with every problem or frustration he experiences, the result would be excessive demands. A short-term distraction through frustration buying is therefore socially recognized and tolerated. Boredom and escaping from the dreary and depressing daily routine can also drive people into shopping addiction.

However, if these frustration purchases become uncontrollable, the boundary to pathological or pathological behaviour is crossed. Usually this transition happens fluently and is not perceived at first. Therefore, a buying addiction usually goes unnoticed for a longer period of time. The inability to regulate oneself and to permanently compensate one's problems by buying is perceived as a pathological element. Fatal is at the beginning of the buying addiction that the addicts often even get recognition and attention from their environment for their purchases. The environment feels envy and respect for the expensive purchases and does not initially come up with the idea that the purchasing behaviour of the person concerned may no longer correspond to the norm. This attitude confirms the shopping addict's behaviour, as he has achieved what he is so desperately looking for: Attention, care, attention. Often these emotions are confused with honest sympathy, but in the long run they are no substitute for the inner emptiness that the affected person feels a short time later. In order to restore the experienced feeling, the next shopping frenzy follows.

The problem of recognising a buying addiction, however, is not only due to the fact that it comes creepingly. The social reputation of shopping addiction is by no means as bad as that of drug or alcohol addiction. There is no stigmatisation of the shopping addict and the critical perception of the environment is by no means as sharpened as is the case with other addictions.

Characteristics of buying addiction

The primary most important characteristic of buying addiction is the urge to buy something that is not actually needed. The shopping addict acts impulsively and purchases excessively, especially at an advanced stage of the disease.

At the beginning of a shopping tour, whether online or in the shop, most people feel feelings such as anger, grief, frustration, loneliness or anxiety. Often the feeling of an inner emptiness, which is to be filled by shopping, is also described.

A typical feature of shopping addicts is that the acquired goods are generally not used and are no longer taken into account after the purchase. For example, it is not uncommon for shopping addicts to accumulate several televisions or 20 pairs of identical shoes. It is even common that the articles are never unpacked or that food from the special offer rots and is not eaten.

It's about the act of buying for the addict, not the goods or services they get. This act is associated with a feeling of strong excitement, tension or excitement. When you buy, you feel relief, happiness and satisfaction. After shopping, there is a feeling of remorse and a guilty conscience. These feelings often occur when leaving the department store, but a return of the goods is often categorically excluded. If they return the goods out of bad conscience, they tend to make a new purchase out of frustration that exceeds the value of the previous purchase. A feeling of helplessness is typical for shopaholics in this context. Although they see through the harmfulness of their behaviour, they cannot free themselves from it on their own.

Typical of the consequences of buying addiction is the feeling of no longer having control over one's own will and having nothing to oppose the urge to buy. Those affected feel powerless against their own feelings and have the feeling of losing control over their lives and over themselves.

Current activities are often interrupted in order to give in to the urge to buy. This can lead to a frustrating argument at work, the work is then interrupted and the person concerned goes to a department store to suppress the frustration and push it away.

Buying is increasingly becoming the centre of life and determines the whole of life. As soon as you wake up, your thoughts revolve around possible purchases. The shopping orgies do not necessarily occur daily, however, but can appear in phases. Particularly at times when shopping is socially normal and deliberate, as in the pre-Christmas period or in special sales, the shopping addict can pursue his addiction inconspicuously.

Those affected tend to justify their behaviour and point out that they have only bought special offers and can therefore save money. The reference to the fact that the money is earned by oneself or that one finally earned this purchase is not uncommon. Also, the intention to save from the next month on and to pay bills and debts are typical for a shopping addiction. Buying addicts tend not only to justify their behavior, but tell lies about their buying behavior or the real price or amount they have spent.

There is almost always a financial loss, as people who are addicted to buying purchase products beyond their financial means. There is a great danger of cashless shopping with free credit cards, as the inhibition threshold drops. The overview of money already spent is quickly lost, and studies have also shown that credit card holders spend more money on purchases than people who shop with cash. According to studies, those affected actually tend to prefer payment with a credit card to cash. They also seem to develop a certain dependency on their credit card and don't want to leave the house without it.

The shopping addiction is hidden, because beside the shame about one's own behaviour the fear of criticism plays a dominating role. Fear of criticism is closely associated with low self-esteem. If those affected do not live alone, they hide the products in the cellar, give them away to friends or family or sell them again at rock-bottom prices on the Internet. If the household is run alone, Messie syndrome may occur. In contrast to alcohol addiction, which is recognizable by an alcohol flag, or drug addiction, which is associated with many physical symptoms, shopping addiction can be relatively well hidden externally. The person concerned cannot see their addiction from the outside, and the condition of the apartment does not have to be an indication of buying addiction.

For outsiders, the descriptions of those affected are particularly conspicuous. Emotional life seems to depend exclusively on material goods and to be defined by them. In particular, formulations that implicitly indicate that a person is only well when he or she can buy something in particular are a clear warning.

If those affected suffer from shopping addiction for a longer period of time, their self-esteem deteriorates considerably. Depression and suicidal thoughts can result. From a certain point in time, the effects of buying addiction cannot be confined to the financial sphere alone. The previously attacked psyche is pulled further down and fears determine more and more life. The fear of losing one's job, one's family, friends and one's position in life, is now dominant. Especially when the pressure from outside, be it at work or from the family, is increasing, many people believe that it would be a relief for their environment if they no longer lived.

Withdrawal symptoms

If it is not possible for the person concerned to have to buy something to give in to the compulsion, withdrawal symptoms occur. Withdrawal symptoms are another typical symptom and also occur in other addictions. Symptoms of withdrawal symptoms usually occur when the financial means have been exhausted or when those affected are prevented from being able to continue buying.

The objection that there can be no physical withdrawal symptoms in an addiction that is not dependent on a particular drug or alcohol is only partially justified. In the case of shopping addiction, the body gets used to the increased release of dopamine, the happiness hormone, which has a calming or intoxicating effect. If this regular release of dopamine is now abruptly stopped, there will be considerable mood swings. These mental withdrawal symptoms cannot of course be compared to heroin withdrawal, but they are experienced by those affected in a very agonizing way. The withdrawal symptoms of shopping addiction must therefore not be dismissed like shopping addiction itself, but the suffering of those affected is clearly present. The fact that suicidal thoughts and states of despair can occur under drastic purchase withdrawal shows the immense psychological suffering pressure of the concerning.

Withdrawal symptoms primarily include inner restlessness, which can turn into aggressiveness. Irritation and aggression can occur when it is no longer possible for those affected to pursue their addiction. Desperate and driven by inner restlessness, they may tend to develop other disorders, such as eating disorders, under withdrawal, or the underlying disease, such as depression, may worsen drastically in the course of "purchase withdrawal".

As already described, shopping addiction and its secondary and main diseases have an effect on the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin. If there is a clear lack of this transmitter, it can lead to increased impulsiveness and aggressiveness, which can be a further explanation for the withdrawal symptoms in a non-substance addiction.

Sleep disorders and depression can also occur, and withdrawal symptoms can even manifest themselves in psychosomatic disorders. Psychosomatic diseases are all diseases that have no physical but a mental cause.

Differences in purchasing behaviour

The buying behaviour can be very type-dependent and does not follow a generally valid pattern. It's not random, though. A specialization on certain products is usual. Irrespective of gender, there are those affected who only buy special offers, better known as "bargain hunters", or who purchase the goods depending on their emotions, or who start shopping indiscriminately in stressful situations. A collective delusion can also manifest itself in the form of buying addiction. The opposite of the bargain hunters are people who only buy luxury items and who are satisfied by buying high-priced items. Buying addicts, who predominantly buy luxury goods, have most likely cultivated a wasteful lifestyle even before their buying addiction and define themselves above all through their material possessions and strive to demonstrate them to the outside world.

Some of those affected concentrate their buying behaviour purely on online shopping, while others prefer to shop with cash or credit cards in shops. Which kind of shopping is preferred is very individual as well as the motives. If a childlike feeling like Christmas and unpacking presents is to be evoked, it seems more likely that the person concerned will choose online shopping. He may even resort to the option of having the order sent to him as a gift - many mail order companies now offer this option. Those, on the other hand, who prefer to buy locally and take advantage of comprehensive advice, attach great importance to external perception through contact with the sales staff. Regardless of the purchasing behaviour of the person concerned, the cause remains the same. The self-esteem is to be improved by the self-gift or the recognition from the outside.

Although the state of research on the frequency of buying addiction is insufficient, it has so far been possible to observe gender-specific buying behaviour. Basically, men and women differed in their buying behaviour.

Women often buy clothes, jewellery and cosmetics. Most men, on the other hand, tend to either buy prestige items such as cell phones or cars, or to go for entertainment products such as computer and console games. This buying behavior can be accordingly pronounced with a buying addiction. At a certain point in time, the people concerned buy far beyond their financial means, but at the beginning of their buying addiction, buying actions are oriented towards their social and financial status. Those who have had to live sparingly even before shopping addiction will probably not tend to want to buy several cars or expensive brand watches. A certain personal prevalence is certainly given, despite the fact that the goods are no longer paid attention after the purchase. After all, it would give the shopping addict little pleasure if he could not identify himself at all personally with the goods he is buying.

Since shopping addiction is based on a low self-esteem, importance is attached to the external perception of the products or services at the beginning of the addiction. Those affected try to present a socially conforming and ideal image of themselves, which in reality they do not correspond to at all. Often, however, there is a desire to sketch a picture of oneself that people think they need to be in order to be loved. Therefore, clothing, sporting goods or electronic objects are particularly suitable for improving perception. As shopping addiction progresses, the value of these products is not lost, so people do not switch to other less prestigious products. On the contrary, it may even be the case that shopping addicts are turning to more and more expensive products or the number of things they buy is increasing. However, they are increasingly losing personal value for those affected. The purchase is then in the foreground, no longer the goods themselves. The fact that shopping addicts are buying more and more and more expensive can be compared with an increase in dose, similar to people with a substance dependency. The reason for this is that the brain has already become accustomed to hormone secretion. If the product becomes more expensive, the "kick" for the affected person is greater and the euphoric effect occurs. A clear symptom of behavioral addiction.

At the beginning of the buying addiction, the choice of products and the motivation behind the buying of the affected persons was definitely present with calculation regarding the external perception and representation. These thoughts and feelings, however, are increasingly receding into the background. The affected person switches to a kind of "autopilot" at a certain point of his addiction and only pursues his compulsion or goes to the urge to have to shop.