Shopping Addiction Treatment Program Options

Shopping addiction sometimes isn’t treated like a serious behavioral disorder. Unless it coexists in a patient with substance abuse, clinical depression or other obvious behavior or mood issues, some people have trouble addressing shopping addiction as on a par with more “legitimate” substance abuse issue.

What Causes Shopping Addiction?

A casual disregard toward shopping addiction is harmful as the consequences of the addiction are every bit as serious – financially, socially and emotionally – as any other addiction. The cause of this underlying disorder isn’t known with confidence, though the fact that such disorders tend to run in families would seem to suggest a hereditary element. The behavior itself is often encouraged and intensified by the presence of various stressors in the addict’s life. Factors such as job stress, family stress and physical health play a role in setting the pace and tempo of the addiction, though little evidence indicates these factors instigate the condition.

It must be said that many victims of addiction as well as many of their friends and family members will deny that an issue needs to be addressed in the first place. Indeed, this state of profound denial, if left unchecked and unanswered, can persist for years – even for life – in the very face of the evidence the affected person needs help. Getting the necessary consent to begin treatment is therefore the primary challenge facing individuals with shopping addiction issues.

This situation is made all the more challenging by the subjective nature of shopping addiction. After all, people find it necessary to shop from time to time, so the threshold for what counts as an addiction might be difficult to determine. Shopping addiction isn’t simply a matter of shopping frequently, nor is it measured in terms of the money spent while doing it. Rather, the true measure of whether or not an individual is suffering from a shopping addiction – as with any addiction – is the issue of whether the suspect behavior persists, or even escalates, in the face of mounting consequences. As a true alcoholic will persist in drinking long past the point where it has cost a job, driving privileges and friendships, so a shopping addict might continue shopping even as the bills pile up and other, more essential, expenses go unpaid.

Is There a Cure for Shopping Addiction?

As with any behavior issue worthy of the name “addiction,” no cure exists. Addiction isn’t an acute illness like chicken pox. Rather, shopping addiction is a lifelong issue that affects the patient’s motivational priorities; however, it can be effectively treated and managed.

If you believe you might be suffering from a shopping addiction, or if you believe you might know someone who is, you should know the key to successful treatment is almost always the detection of the disturbed behavior, followed by a decision to seek out help in treating shopping addiction. If you find yourself at a loss for options and unable to get started, you aren’t alone.

Help is always available to you at any time of the day or night simply by calling . When you call that number, you’ll be put in touch with a friendly and sympathetic professional who knows what you’re going through and the issues you’re trying to address. If you wish, you can be given a list of contacts in your area who specialize in the treatment of shopping addiction or other behavior issues, and who are available to see you for a diagnosis. Please call as soon as you can.

Therapies for Shopping Addicts (Shopaholics)

Therapies for shopping addicts, also known as shopaholics, exist. Unlike the situation with a chemical dependency, the shopping addict need not begin treatment with a medically supervised detoxification period unless other addictions are present. Treatment usually begins with a period of behavior modification by means of one form of therapy or another.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Treatment

According to the Mayo Clinic, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) programs are the gold standard in behavior modification. This form of therapy typically consists of a single patient engaging with a trained therapist in a session-based format at some regular interval, often weekly. CBT is especially popular for its noninvasive and non-drug-based approach to therapy, which allows the patient to exercise more control over treatment than with other options.

Other Therapeutic Methods

Other therapeutic methods are available. Sometimes the basic structure of the CBT will be modified to allow multiple patients to participate in a group setting with one or more therapists. This is a very popular approach to treating addiction in particular, and it has the advantage of encouraging the patients to stop thinking they’re the only ones who suffer from a particular addiction. The attendant reduction in feelings of guilt and shame can greatly ease the way forward to remission.

Residential Inpatient Shopping Addiction Treatment Centers

Residential or inpatient shopping addiction treatment centers exist with an eye toward physical isolation of the patient and an effort to monitor overall health during the initial stages of treatment. If you’re in need of a referral to such a facility, or if you or a loved one is struggling with what you fear could be an addiction of any kind, please call as soon as you can.

The Benefits of Residential Shopping Addiction Treatments

Chief among the benefits of residential shopping addiction treatments is the ability to provide the patient with an almost totally controlled environment. Isolated from any unauthorized outside influences, the patient will feel free of the kinds of psychological and social stressors that can fuel destructive behavior.

If the shopping addict happens to have additional health issues, including other addictions, these can also be looked after in an inpatient facility, freeing the addicted person to focus on therapy and recovery from the condition that brought them to inpatient care in the first place.

Luxury Shopping Addiction Facilities

While most inpatient treatment centers operate strictly on a medical model, patients in need of care are increasingly turning to centers that offer a decidedly less clinical approach. These so-called luxury shopping addiction facilities are constructed to reduce, or even eliminate altogether, the feeling of having been checked into a hospital by way of luxury appointments, single rooms and even premium recreational activities, such as horseback riding and golf.

Executive Shopping Addiction Programs

Executive shopping addiction programs are aimed at that segment of the population in need of close attention and monitoring for a serious addiction, but who are, for reasons having to do with career, family obligations or even basic temperament, unsuited to the demands of more traditional programs. An executive program might engage in remote monitoring and interventions, see the patient for only limited periods of time, or even provide a condensed inpatient experience with an eye toward the earliest discharge possible and a speedy return home.

Outpatient Shopping Addiction Rehab and Treatment Programs

Outpatient shopping addiction rehab and treatment programs are other ways the shopping addict can obtain treatment. Outpatient care programs might operate daily care centers for therapeutic visits, daily or weekly therapy sessions, or simply for dispensing necessary medications.

Whatever the form therapy ultimately takes, perhaps the most important factor affecting a positive outcome is the detection and treatment of behavior issues such as shopping addiction. If you think you might have a problem with a shopping addiction or if you’re concerned about someone else who might, you should know help is available at any time of the day or night and can be reached by calling . This number will connect you to someone who will listen to your concerns and provide you with resources available in your area.

Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications

Prescription and over-the-counter medications might be ordered by your doctor during the acute phase of your treatment. While a magical pill that cures shopping addictions doesn’t exist, your doctor will be concerned with helping you to manage some of the psychological effects of withdrawal from the addictive behavior. Minor or major sedatives or tranquilizers might be prescribed to promote relaxation during the day or to aid in sleeping through the night. Some of the more commonly used minor tranquilizers include:

• Valium
• Xanax
• Serax
• Ativan
• Klonopin

Additionally, your doctor might find it advisable to prescribe medications to assist you with the uphill task of managing secondary issues or disorders such as depression, psychosis or other common side effects of withdrawal. As always, it’s very important to be as open and as honest with the doctor as possible, if only to reduce the chance that the wrong drugs have been prescribed or to see to it that an ineffective treatment course is discontinued. Only take the medications prescribed by the doctor, and be sure to take them exactly as instructed.

How to Find the Best Shopping Addiction Treatment Facility

Once you can recognize the existence of a problem, you might start wondering how to find the best shopping addiction treatment facility for yourself or the afflicted person in your life. Help is available to you 24 hours a day by calling . You can speak with a trained professional who’s familiar with the issues surrounding shopping addiction and able to provide you with access to the resources you need to begin addressing this issue at last.

Delaying help is almost always a mistake. Please call as soon as you can for help, and get a new start through treatment for shopping addiction.