To Buy or Not to Buy: Why We Overshop and How to Stop

According to a recent study, it is estimated that more than 10 million Americans are unable to stop themselves from frequent shopping binges that lead to debt, damaged relationships, and depression. In this book, April Lane Benson draws on decades of clinical experience and on recent research to offer information, insights, and practical strategies for overcoming compulsive buying. The cardinal signs of compulsive buying are: frequent purchases of unneeded or unaffordable items; intrusive or uncontrollable impulses to buy; and, emotional let-down or feelings of guilt after shopping. In plain and encouraging language, Dr. Benson helps readers to identify their ‘overshopping sequence’ - the pattern of triggers, actions, and aftershocks (or negative consequences) that plague compulsive buyers.With this awareness of the dynamics of their shopping problem, readers gain the ability to address the root causes. Dr. Benson demonstrates how unaddressed emotional pain can drive us to over shop, as can limited and unrealistic concepts about what will make us truly happy in life. To promote recovery, she offers readers an integrated approach that enlists the mind, the heart, and even the body to develop a mindful awareness around shopping and take back control over buying and spending. It includes patient stories, practical strategies, exercises, and information on financial planning.