Dear Sarah,

When thinking about addiction, most people think about drug or alcohol addiction. The truth is that we can become addicted to a wide range of things, including shopping. Most addictions have some common characteristics, such as a compulsive need to continue to engage in the addictive behavior and experiencing withdrawal symptoms, including a feeling of discomfort, when unable to engage in the behavior.

Most addictions do become a problem because they eventually interfere with our functioning in other areas of our life, like school or job performance and social relationships. Usually addictive behaviors are a dysfunctional way to help us avoid problems or difficulties in our lives.

If you’re concerned about your shopping behavior, then it probably is a problem. As a test, try to not engage in any shopping for a significant period of time (e.g., one month). Observe how you’re feeling and if the urge to shop is in response to challenges or stressors in your life. Consider making efforts to deal with these issues instead of avoiding them by going shopping.