Addiction to shopping:Problems and Solutions

Shopping is a past time that didi not really emerge as a mainstream activity until the 80s,when there was an economic boom in many developed countries like America and Europe , and had now spread across the globe . With the skyrocketing popularity of shopping came an alarming number of cases of shopping addiction , which brought with it many tales of woe . Shopaholics  wreak havoc in their lives and other people's lives.Marriage are ruined , families are broken up , home are lost . Enemies are made , friends are lost . Innumberable tears are shed . Crazy as it sounds , all this is due to overspending at the shops . Needless to say , shopping addictions are an issue that must be brought to here , and this is possible through three lines of attack .

Parents are responsible for the first way out to this problem . In that they must bring their children up carefully . In other words , the youth must be taught that material things are not of true value , so they will not grow up with urges to run out and but whatever catches their fancy . This must be instilled in them before they reach their teens , for teens are highly susceptible to influence from spoilt friends or the media . Obviously , this is not an easy thing to carry out . In modern time , it is almost impossible to hide from the materialistic beckoning of the media and all the advertisement that come with it , unless you live under a rock . In fact , even tiny children are aware of the attraction of the latest toys , clothing brands or gadgets like mobile phones , and it is not surprising to hear them begging for something unnecessary from their poor parents . If this strategy is to work , parents must be very consistent in their non-materialistic attitude because children see , and children do .
Sometimes , it is too late to prevent a shopping addiction . so the next thing is to get over it through healthy , enriching diversions . The most effective way to get over an addiction is to get our mind off the object of our obsession . Popular activities are sports ma new hobby , doing more projects at work , or spending time with loved ones . When we find an alternative activity that bring us happiness or keep us so busy that we have no time to think about our compulsive habits , we will slowly feel less of a need to indulge in out routine behavior .The same goes for shopping . The difficulty of this approach is that it involves lots of willpower . Also , we have to decide whether we want to wean ourselves off the habits , or go cold turkey . Going the wrong way could backfire terribly and result in the biggest crazed shopping spree of our lives .

The last resort is to seek professional help . Shopaholics , like a alcoholics and wife beaters , suffer from clinical psychological conditions that make it very difficult to stop doing that what we are doing . Therefore , shopaholics need to do two things : get a therapist , or join a support group like Shopaholics Anonymous . Both actions will allow obsessive shoppers to get to the root of their problem . When they understand the underlying reasons of their addiction  , they can begin to eradicate their problem . The downside of this tactic is that firstly , not everyone can afford a therapist . Secondly , shopping addiction are not yet recognized as serious problem in many countries , so support groups may not be readily available . A possible alternative is to seek online support groups.

In summary , shopping obviously  is not matter to be taken lightly . This compulsion can be controlled by instilling a disinterest in material objects in children , distracting the shopaholic  from going to the shops and seeking professional support  . The world will be a much happier place if shopaholics realize their problem and take steps to eliminate their addiction . Why not start with a positive diversion .