Are you a shopaholic?

The term “shopaholic” may conjure up images of young women laughing their way down 5th Avenue with their arms full of shopping bags, but some argue that shopping, theft, and hoarding are all forms of addiction in their own way. You may have heard of Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights, who went public with his shopping addiction last April. You can read more about his story here. Terrence Shulman, founder and director of Shopaholics Anonymous, recently spoke with Business Insider about the dangers of compulsive spending (Read the entire article here). The article outlines many similarities  between “shopaholism” and other addictions.

 

What do you think? Is compulsive shopping an addiction or something else entirely? Could standard addiction programs like 12 Step programs work on compulsive spending in the same way as alcoholism?