Is shopping your drug of choice?
Must have it, can't afford it, but still buy it? Then you have an addiction, writes Huma Qureshi.
Sunday February 18, 2007
In the space of two days, my friend spent £1,199. 'I bought a Mulberry handbag [£371] on Friday, and some amazing Bulgari sunglasses [£345] on Saturday,' she counts off her fingers. 'Oh, and I had to book a flight [£483] as well. Does that count?' Er, yes, it does.
She says she's not a shopaholic - 'I'm in control of how much I spend; I know how much is on my credit card, when to pay it off and when to stop' - even though her latest spree makes her look slightly like one. But how can you tell if you are addicted to shopping?
'Just because you like buying clothes, doesn't make you a shopping addict,' says Professor Alexander Gardner, a consumer psychologist and member of the British Psychological Association, reassuringly. 'Someone like Victoria Beckham can spend a lot, but that doesn't mean she's addicted, it just means she enjoys it - mainly because she can afford everything. Everyone gets a kick out of shopping.' True - retail therapy is the ultimate escape. A bad day translates into a new pair of shoes, while a good day justifies treating yourself 'just because'.
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Quite nice. :)
