The dangers of Christmas shopping
With the festive season comes Christmas shopping and consumption—often excessive. Long before Christmas, shops, the media and department stores bombard us with information about products and services. And spending at this time of year increases significantly, as the arrival of Christmas is inevitably synonymous for everyone with going shopping.
However, it is important to distinguish between compulsive buying, which occurs in people addicted to shopping, and excessive Christmas shopping that takes place during these sale periods. And it is increasingly common in today’s society.
The addict has a dependency, a need to buy that they cannot control. And you are more likely to engage in compulsive shopping at this time of year, because your behaviour is more likely to go unnoticed during the festive season or be easier to justify.
It occurs in both men and women. In women it is usually related to buying clothes or beauty products, and in men to buying electronic devices, cars or computer equipment.
Those who suffer from it feel euphoria when buying an item and anxiety to acquire it. But afterwards they feel guilty and fall into depression for having paid. This harms their finances and their social and personal life, as they often end up asking friends or family for money.
There is always a way out
At CCAdicciones we believe that the help of family and friends and the support of specialised professionals are essential. The most suitable are cognitive-behavioural therapies, along with group therapy or mutual aid groups. In this way, patients benefit from the opportunity to share the problem with people who suffer from the same addiction.
