Confessions of a Jamaican Shopaholic

Tis the season for shopping, decorating and fun.

There are thousands of people walking around who have a shopping addiction, in Jamaica and the world at large. Their addiction is that of being a shopaholic. This is can be a very adverse condition that depending on the individual can affect their financial, family and emotional life.

Confession of a Jamaican Shopaholic

We see this portrayed in the movie ‘Confession of a shopaholic’; where a young lady goes through the experience, but recovers. This is possible for anyone but it requires that they be willing to work through it.

A shopaholic has to change your psychological outlook. A lot of times there are stressful situations in our lives that drive us to any addiction whether it is smoking, eating, drinking and in this case, shopping. These problems might be at work, being laid off, and even having n unreasonable and difficult boss. People who go through separation, divorce or a death in their family can also turn to shopping.

Shopping offers a Jamaican shopaholic, a way to hide from and put out of their minds these stressful situations. Therefore the first step is to identify the stressors in our lives and work to get rid of them. This might mean that you have to change jobs, speak to people courteously about their influence on your conduct, or handle the grief of a painful situation.

Confessions of a Shopaholic (film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You also have to modify your spending habits or have someone manage your funds for you. When you begin your resurgence it will be very trying and you will be tempted to continue shopping.

However it would be easier if a friend or family member takes over paying your bills, managing your loans or take complete control of your finances. But you must choose someone you have complete faith in, someone who won’t hand over until you have made noteworthy progress and who is sympathetic. You will have to reveal to them the harshness of your problem and be wholly honest with them. This may be the most complicated part but it may be vital to your recovery.