Addiction and Compulsive Buying Disorder (CBD) Essay

Shopping is stereotypically a pastime many women love. In the Lockhorn comic strip husband Leroy often laments about his wife Loretta’s cooking, looks, and excessive shopping. In one strip Loretta is shown carrying several bags of items with the caption by creator Hoest, (n.d.) â€Å"you knew I had no sales resistance when I married you.† Many can joke about their love of shopping but for some it is a serious problem. People will argue that compulsive shopping is a weakness. Others feel that the idea of shopping as a disorder or addiction is a ruse of the medical establishment or pharmaceutical companies to boost sales and create a diagnosable problem. It is the intent of this writer to put current knowledge into a perspective that shows CBD to†¦show more content†¦Their behavior falls in line with the system of addiction presented in Carnes (Carnes, 2011). There are four distinct phases of CBD they are: anticipation, preparation, shopping, and spending (Black, 2007). The amount of time a person shops is the smallest portion of their addiction. Anticipation occurs when thoughts or urges occur, they may be about a specific item or the act of shopping (Black, 2007). Before shopping ensues serious planning takes place. A devoted shopper will spend time deciding what stores to go to, which credit cards to use, and even what they will wear. This is known as the anticipation phase (Black, 2007). When shopping occurs it is generally done alone to avoid shame. Also during the shopping phase solitude is the norm particularly if the behavior has escalated to the point of worrying family and friends (Black, 2007). There is a great build-up of expectation during this phase which occurs before any purchases have even been made. Lastly there is the spending phase and the feelings of despair that follow. A person with CBD is not shopping to purchase anything they need; they shop to fill a void, satisfy a craving and experience temporary relief. Unlike the recreational shopper a person with CBD has gone beyond average debt and many times has spent money set aside for bills and will beg, borrow, and steal to purchase their â€Å"drug of choice†, material goods. Epidemiology suggests that CBD has its onset in late