The term “shopping addiction” is quite new to a lot of people. Most people do not believe in their existence because they see nothing wrong with shopping. However, they fail to realize that when your brain craves a certain form of enjoyment and pleasure that makes you do an act obsessively, addiction is in play.
One of the ways to know if you are addicted to shopping is when you have several unopened items in your closet. If you cannot remember getting some items and the reason why you got them, there is a tendency that you are addicted to shopping.
In addition, people who often buy things that they do not need might be addicted. Similarly, if you have an obsession with getting the latest items and just keeping them for flaunt purposes, then an addiction might be in place.
Furthermore, the obsessive and compulsive act of shopping is targeted towards filling a big emotional void. When some people are sad, angry, and dejected, one of the things they do to feel better, is by going shopping.
They do this to escape from the emotions they are feeling because they feel nothing else works for them.
For people who experience the excitement rush when they are shopping, it is dopamine in play. And if this rush occurs every time you want to shop, or you are shopping already, then you are addicted to shopping.
The way it works is, when you go out and you see a particular item you like, there is a burst of excitement within you. Later on, you discover that there was no need to buy it in the first place. The product or item would be deemed as a waste of money.
If you feel that you are addicted to shopping, one of the best ways to help yourself is to see a counselor. A counselor would teach you certain skills that would be proficient in controlling the obsessive urge to shop.