Shopping addiction - oniomania
And someone, on the contrary, calms down there. Looks at things, buys... and experiences pleasure. This cannot always be attributed to addiction.
Shopping addiction, if you are really addicted to uncontrollable shopping and shopping. There are different dependencies.
Dependencies:
- From alcohol
- Narcotic substances
- From sweets
And shopping addiction has also been recognized as a disease. Like any disease, this addiction can be treated. Many people simply don’t know how to understand that you have all the signs of a shopaholic disease. But first, about the reasons for shopaholism, to which the female sex is more susceptible than the male sex.
How long do banknotes last?
The average lifespan of Russian banknotes ranges from 2-2.5 years. A “long-lived” banknote is a 5 thousand banknote that has been in circulation for more than 4 years. A 1000-ruble bill can last up to 3 years, and a 100-ruble bill goes out of circulation after a couple of years. On average, per year one banknote of average denomination manages to be in at least 200 wallets.
It should be noted that American dollars live much longer: for example, the average life of 50-100 dollar bills is 9 years. This does not mean at all that American currency is printed on better quality paper, and that Russian citizens are more careless with money. It’s just that in the United States, banknotes with this denomination are rarely used in daily circulation. Americans prefer to pay for purchases over $100 with credit cards.
Reasons for shopaholism
Shopaholism is also called oniomania, and often it is an irresistible urge to buy everything without any particular need.
In fact, a person, buying even a not very necessary thing, enjoys the very act of “making a purchase.” Shopping becomes a kind of entertainment for him, or a distraction from stress, and sometimes the “meaning of life.”
What reasons push women to make these purchases:
- Attention deficit
- The desire to be recognized and the best
- Feeling of uselessness and loneliness
- In a depressed state
- "For company" with someone
The trigger for making purchases can be various kinds of reasons, which are markers:
- A person cannot stop himself, there is no sense of self-control
- Desire to feel free from obligations and stress, decreased anxiety
- Thirst for adrenaline, these people are often called “adrenaline junkies”
- Psychological trauma from childhood, often unloved children
- Labile nervous system, as I call “high degree of intensity” and excessive emotionality (see article emotional intelligence)
A person with unresolved psychological problems, trauma, a tendency to seek justice and disappointments in life, as well as difficulties with communications, also finds himself in this vicious circle of “shopping addiction.”
Buying a new thing often helps at first and brings a person out of a depressed state, but since this is an unplanned purchase, and often exorbitant for the budget, the person begins to experience an endless feeling of guilt. And in order to somehow calm himself down and get another dose of adrenaline, he again goes to buy something. And so on in a circle and on an increasing scale.
A person cannot regulate himself in any way, and he makes purchases impulsively, without realizing the consequences of such purchases.
The main internal reason for shopaholism is one’s own psychological problems.
Low self-esteem always comes from childhood. And shopaholism increases self-esteem due not only to the release of serotonin, but also from admiring glances from sellers and strangers.
External factors that force people to buy a product include well-planned marketing. Big discount, latest product and latest size, open display, good mirrors and pleasant lighting. And, of course, properly trained staff.
Such pressure will force many to pay attention to this, but shopaholics will definitely not leave without making a purchase.
Who “lives” on money
A few years ago, scientists at Oxford University tested samples of European currencies for microbial content. It turned out that the average European banknote contains more than 26 thousand bacteria.
The “record holder” was the Danish krone, on which about 40 thousand bacteria “live”. The respectable Swiss franc gave refuge to 32 thousand, and the Russian ruble to 30 thousand.
It is curious that the most “non-urbanized” banknotes were the euro (11 thousand), Norwegian kroner (11.7 thousand) and British pounds sterling (18 thousand). The “sterility” of the single European currency can be explained by the fact that euros are treated with a special compound that prevents the proliferation of microbes.
The most “densely populated” banknote in the world is the Chinese 100 yuan “paper” - on average, more than 180,000 bacteria “live” here.
Microbiologists find E. coli, mold, staphylococci, pathogens of tuberculosis, typhoid, sexually transmitted diseases, etc. on banknotes. True, scientists claim that the harmful bacteria contained on banknotes are not capable of leading to diseases, and they recommend simply washing your hands more often as a preventive measure.
Not long ago, Swiss scientists from the Geneva Virus Center came to the conclusion that the influenza virus found on a banknote can retain its damaging properties for about 14 days at room temperature.
What is the danger of shopaholism - addiction to shopping?
Shopaholism has dangerous social consequences:
- Family conflicts, including divorce or family discord
- Debts, the way out of which is often depriving the family of money, selling some valuables and family heirlooms for next to nothing
- Thefts in the family, on the street, at work, in shopping centers and other places
- Fraudulent activities
- Stealing money from close relatives' home
- Psychosomatic disorders and decreased immunity, and as a result, these people begin to get sick more often
Gambling addiction: what to do if you can’t stop? Disease, symptoms, treatment
They appeared in Europe quite a long time ago, and so-called anonymous gamblers clubs (by analogy with Alcoholics Anonymous societies) are also gaining popularity in Russia. These are both Internet projects and offline communities where people with gambling addiction can meet, communicate, talk about their problems, ask for help and support. The same group therapy that Roman Gerasimov talks about. “Bookmaker Rating” studied dozens of stories of sports betting gamblers and selected several indicative ones.
Gambling addiction of one family member is a problem for all relatives
“Hooked on again...”
"I am 35 years old. Married for the second time, son 5 years old. I first became acquainted with a slot machine back in 2000: it’s simple - bet x rubles - get xx rubles. And then it started: everything he earned, he took everything to the pavilions with slot machines, trying to return what he lost. Occasionally there were wins, but in general, by and large, I lost everything. The first wife began to understand that the family budget was going astray; she admitted her trouble and decided to deal with it together. But in any case, I tried to play by deception, I did this... As a result - a lot of overdue loans, problems with my wife, a house on rent - this is also in arrears, I borrowed from friends - I lost many friends... In short, everything is bad: life has changed and turned into a continuous game . My wife and I divorced, largely because of passion. I decided to start a new life and promised myself to give up casinos and slot machines. Found a new job, a girl. A year later, the wedding - a son was born, everything is fine, work, family. There is no game - it dawned on me that with a computer you will still not be in the black, I realized that this topic is closed for me. In addition, at that time in Russia there was a reform of the gaming business - all casinos were closed, or rather almost all, but these issues no longer interested me. New life, money, new car, apartment, travel... Friends - everything is great. And then there are sports bets. By chance. Got hooked again. And away we go - debts, loans, problems with my wife, friends, relatives. Now we are on the verge of divorce - although I have had my own business for a long time, and I earn 7-10 times more than an office employee. And everything goes to the bookmakers. I sold a good car a long time ago, I drive an old Honda, and it’s also pawned in a pawnshop... I’ve strained myself with friends, and no one will ever lend me money. Overall, I'm desperate. In an amicable way - stop - don't play for another month - there will be no debts. I really want this and now I promise all of you that I won’t bet anymore. I will report every day, go into myself, go to work, and take charge of myself.”
“Yes, Manchester United will nominate these candidates for the first league in any case...”
“I made my first bets on the principle: yes, Manchester United will take these candidates to the first league in any case, everything is obvious, and why take bets on this? Later, an equally idiotic principle: I’ll bet on the TM in the 87th minute, well, who’s going to score here when the score is 2-0, and why is it important? You know, beginners are really lucky. Still, really, fools. But according to this logic, I, a fool who is unable to stop, should just be lucky. Only the fig was lying there, but more on that later. So, such idiotic bets even led me at some point, if not to a plus, then to almost complete winning back what I had previously lost in the lotto. But where should I stay there? “We’ll catch up and surpass”, “let’s complete the five-year plan in 4 years”... Excellent slogans to describe the style of my game then, and in many ways now. A series of idiotic bets that for some reason stopped happening en masse. Even more drain. But he was smart enough not to drain all his savings. Oh yes, I completely forgot. At some point, my mother suddenly decided to support my goal of saving for my own home, and even almost always gave some significant portion of her small salary. With a report on the total amount of current savings at an arbitrary point in time, of course. Plus I earned something on the Internet. In itself, the amount grew steadily if we eliminated losses from life. And then “stability” began. Regarding bets, of course. Stable play every 2-3 weeks, and stable withdrawals of significant amounts every 2-3 months. This went on for more than 2 years. The money continued to accumulate anyway, and we even managed to somehow reach the planned amounts unnoticed. As a result, there was already enough money for a microscopic studio apartment at the excavation stage somewhere in an open field outside the Moscow Ring Road. Let it be for such a lousy apartment, but still. But then February of this year came. It would seem like another planned drain, considering that the last one was in early December. But now it has grown into a real gaming binge. I don’t want to get into the detailed chronology of this viscous swamp, but the idea is that at the moment my lousy virtual apartment has already turned into nothing more than a middle-class foreign car. I especially want to note that my mother eventually had to confess. First, at the beginning of June, about the minus of a not-so-enchanting amount. And the second time was literally a week ago, at that time in full force. Why at that moment? Yes, because I literally just managed to drain it. Mom’s reaction was somewhat of a shock, plus a complete refusal to make further contributions to my “capital.” Which drives me even more into a state of hopelessness. First the money was increasing, and now it has sharply decreased, and I’m still stuck at a dead point. I lost twice, so to speak. But I wouldn’t give a damn about this if I knew for sure that I would never make a single bet in my life again. So at least you can see the light in the distance. True, every day this option seems less and less realistic to me, because the swamp is sucking me in. Plus, stories in which people get out of this swamp come out, at best, to one in a couple of hundred. You know, I have already lost faith in my uniqueness... And yes, I especially want to celebrate my life. More precisely, its content is shameful, primarily for oneself. No interests, no joys of any kind, absolutely zero motivation in everything. Why, there’s never even been a girl in my life. The house is a university computer, and that’s all. And now to the banal. How can we still get out of this swamp? How to stop betting and fill your life with something bright and in sufficient quantity?
“I lost money for my child”
“I am a player with 14 years of experience. I have 5-6 credits, I don’t remember exactly how many. One out of 8 thousand grew to 400. I tried to quit. I was in rehabilitation, but couldn’t stand it and ran away from psychologists. Yesterday my friend and I took out another loan, she took it upon herself, and they blew it all away, there was a fire in the club, and we barely got out of there. I think this is definitely a sign: if I continue, it will be the end. I want to say that no matter what theories we build (how to win), the end is the same. Just yesterday I lost money for my child’s birthday, and today I feel really bad. I haven’t played for 12 hours now – that’s already an achievement for me. I think we need to go to Gamblers Anonymous again. Because after the meetings the cravings still go away.”
“It seemed like I could quit at any moment”
“I’ve been losing money at bookmakers for 5 years, the last 2 years were especially unprofitable: about 1 million or more. Now I borrowed 400 thousand. All wages go to bets. The most interesting thing is that it always seemed to me, and even now sometimes it seems that I could quit at any moment, although in reality this is not the case. Relatives and friends don’t know. A spoonful of honey is that in 6 months I will pay off my debts if I save hard and don’t bet anymore. There were short breaks lasting a couple of months, why did you start again? I can't find an explanation... The mood after losing bets is below zero. Complete depression, and this affects others. And the absolute opposite when you win: euphoria, it seems that you can do anything in this life. I’ve never understood drug addicts and alcoholics, but in fact, I myself am an order of magnitude worse.”
