Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Service Journalism Submission 4: Shopping

The Dark Side of Shopping
An ever-increasing addiction is being fueled by technology

Shopping is one of the most common pick-me-ups, especially for women between the ages of 18 and 25. A stressful day at home, a break-up or a bad day at work are all considered valid reasons to go to the mall and treat yourself to a new purse. For most of us, the excitement of this one impulse buy and the thought that tomorrow you’ll have a great new pair of earrings to wear is enough to lift our mood and put a new spin on the brand new day ahead of us. Unfortunately for some, this pick-me-up impulse buying is nothing but a vicious guilt-filled cycle.

Accessibility to credit cards, internet shopping and 24 hour shopping channels have given shopaholics unlimited access to their drug of choice.

The ability to purchase and receive by express delivery without actually seeing the amount of money they have available and without ever interacting with another person causes them to spin out of control. They are sent down a lonely and regret-filled path of endless debt, destroyed relationships, lost jobs and in extreme cases, the destruction of entire lives. With ever-progressing technology, for some, shopping has gone from being necessity, to a full blown addiction for some.

Compulsive shopping is categorized as a behavioral addiction and involves all the general symptoms associated with any addiction. Shopping and specifically spending release brain chemicals such as endorphins, which gives a feeling of happiness; serotonin, which in low levels causes depression, and dopamine, which is also released with the use of methamphetamine. For a compulsive shopper, the act of shopping and spending is associated with happiness and power and offers instant gratification. Shopaholics also experience the after effects of a high. They feel remorse, guilt and shame for what they have done, driving them to purchase again to achieve the brief but intense high once again. As with any addiction, the person becomes dependent on the behavior to relieve negative feelings, distress and discomfort. They feel the impulse to shop is absolutely uncontrollable. The combination of these symptoms leads to the worsening of the addiction and the need for professional help.

In the last few years, compulsive shopping has begun to be recognized by some psychologists as a genuine, destructive, and treatable disease. ALthough still doubted by some, many centres for addiction now offer treatment for this newly recognized disease, treating it in much the same way as an addiction to sex, drugs or alcohol. Recognizing that buying a new pair of shoes every time something goes wrong in one's life is a serious problem is a step in the right direction for those affected. But is it happening fast enough?

The increase in the number of shopping services available is ever-increasing and being made available to more and more people. This is a psychological disease with potential only to worsen in the future.

Michaele Laderoute

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