Are you a secret shopping addict?
Photos: Getty
Joking that you’re a ‘shopaholic’ may trivialise the issues that some people face with compulsive shopping, according to experts. Shopping addiction, also known as compulsive buying disorder (CBD) or oniomania, is a very real and uncontrollable need to shop and spend, despite the negative consequences. CBD is characterised as an impulse-control issue, just like gambling or binge eating, and has the potential to create a whirlwind of emotional and financial distress.
Casinos Analyser recently studied the emotional and financial toll of shopping behaviours, with nearly one in three respondents saying they feel addicted to shopping, and 59% worrying that their habits will derail their long-term financial security. Despite shopping addiction therapy being effective, only 34% have sought help. While another 25% say they’ve considered it, most continue to cope alone. A surprising 8 in 10 admit buying items they don't need during sales, fuelling their addiction while threatening financial stability.
Experts say there is a need for a greater understanding and recognition of just how damaging a condition like shopping addiction can be, with its ripple effects and impact on relationships, work, finances and emotions.
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Why do people become addicted to shopping?
Research shows that the chemical dopamine, a hormone that plays a crucial role in the brain's reward system, surges when anticipating a new purchase. For some people, this pleasure rapidly wears off, sometimes as soon as they’ve clicked to make an online purchase, and they need to repeat the process to experience the same ‘high.’
The increase in dopamine conjures up powerful feelings of reward and motivation. This is usually maintained by self-control and financial considerations. When the process becomes out of balance and people become hooked on the pleasurable sensation of spending, it can develop into a full-blown shopping addiction.
Dr Tracy King, chartered clinical psychologist and trauma and addiction specialist, says shopping addiction is rarely about the things we buy. Beneath the bags and browser tabs is often an aching need to feel something: relief, reward, regulation, or even just a sense of self.
‘At its root, compulsive shopping is less about consumption and more about coping’
King says, ‘At its root, compulsive shopping is less about consumption and more about coping. It can be a masked trauma response, an attempt to soothe emotional pain or fill an inner void shaped by earlier experiences. Many clients I work with describe an internal state that feels chaotic or numb, and the act of buying offers a temporary sense of control, identity, or aliveness. The ‘high’ of a purchase can momentarily override deep emotional discomfort.’
Often, compulsive spending is linked to early relational wounds, times when someone felt unseen, unsafe, or unworthy. King explains, ‘In these cases, shopping becomes a symbolic attempt to meet unmet needs: to be nurtured, to feel special, to claim a sense of belonging or power. For those who grew up with unpredictable caregiving, shopping can offer a sense of predictability or even mimic the ‘gift-giving’ gestures they longed for but never received. Many have horrific and lonely memories of special occasions like birthdays and Christmas and are looking to replay the occasion with a different outcome.’
Shame also plays a huge role in compulsive shopping, according to King, ‘Unprocessed trauma often leaves behind residual shame. When that shame becomes unbearable, we seek ways to escape it. Shopping offers a momentary bypass from the shame spiral. But the relief is short-lived, and the guilt after spending can perpetuate the cycle. What starts as comfort quickly morphs into compulsion.’
The link between shopping addiction and ADHD
There’s also a strong link between shopping addiction and neurodivergence, particularly ADHD. King says, ‘People with ADHD often experience difficulty with impulse control, delayed gratification, and emotional regulation. Add in the dopamine hit of a purchase and the instant gratification of online shopping, and it becomes a neurochemical nemesis.’
King continues, ‘From a nervous system perspective, shopping can act as a self-soothing strategy in the face of chronic dysregulation. For some, it’s a way to avoid the crash of boredom; for others, a way to anchor in moments of emotional overwhelm.’
How do you know if you, or a friend, has a problem?
Consultant clinical psychologist Dr Nick Johl shares 12 behaviours to look out for that indicate your spending, or the spending of someone you love, is getting out of control and/or becoming compulsive:
- You spend as a reaction to feeling angry, sad, or stressed
- Your buying habits constantly distract you from other priorities
- You buy excessive amounts of things you don’t really need
- You hoard the items you buy and don’t use the things you purchase
- You spend excessive amounts of money on extravagant gifts
- You spend over and above your budget, or ignore your budget
- You spend an excessive amount of time visiting shops or shopping online
- You have multiple store cards, juggle a number of credit cards, and have run up a significant debt
- You hide purchases, receipts, and bank statements from family members
- You've become increasingly secretive about shopping habits or finances, or both
- You get angry at spending limitations imposed by others
- You have attempted to cut down or stop shopping in the past, but have been unable to (this may have included deleting shopping apps or making a monthly budget, but finding that you were unable to persevere)
The consequences of shopping addiction
Pamela Roberts, addiction programme manager at the Priory Hospital in Woking, says: ‘Shopping addiction can be devastating and its wider negative impacts can be shocking.
‘People with oniomania feel completely ruled by the compulsion to ‘shop and spend’ - either for themselves, or by excessive gifting to others. The time, let alone the emotional stress, involved in online searching, social media scrolling, visiting shops, juggling credit card bills, hiding purchases from family and returning goods can cause severe disruption.
‘This form of addiction can lead to serious debt, dysfunctional family life, neglected or over-indulged children. And, it’s a problem that exists on a worrying scale: compulsive spending is believed to affect 8-16% of the UK population.’
Is online shopping and social media to blame for shopping addiction?
With influencers posting large ‘haul’ videos from online retailers to tempt followers into buying and targeted ads, it’s difficult to open social media if you have a compulsion to shop. A study by Royal Mail reveals 46% of consumers have purchased, or were prompted to purchase, via social media. From January 2022 to May 2023, e-commerce traffic from TikTok content alone increased by 378%.
Technology is certainly exacerbating the problem and could be a trigger for people vulnerable to this type of addiction. Johl explains, ‘Shopping addiction is not exclusive to the age of online shopping, but apps make it all too easy for addicts to seek and gain a shopping high. Social media tools and marketing techniques – such as swipe-up ‘one-click purchase’ functions, as well as email incentives and offers – make buying instant and hard to resist.’
Johl continues, ‘We shouldn’t be too quick to point the finger at retail and tech giants or the apps themselves. However, whilst advertising hooks are not to blame for addiction, aggressive targeting across social media platforms needs to be carefully monitored in the coming years as this form of shopping looks set only to grow.’
Recovery from shopping addiction
Johl says the most important step is recognising and accepting that you have a problem, before seeking help for a suspected addiction. Treatment, usually through talking therapy, can help identify any deeper psychological problems that may be influencing their behaviour.
If you think it’s time to get your compulsive spending under control, Johl has shared key steps to start with, ‘Firstly, take some time to reflect on the function of your compulsive spending. Ask yourself: Why am I doing this? What purpose does it serve? If you are able to ask yourself this question, you may realise that there is a deeper emotional distress taking place which you should stop avoiding. In the moment, if you notice a strong emotional urge to buy something and you are lacking logical thinking, then delay the purchase until feelings have calmed down.’
Johl continues, ‘Another tip is to review your existing purchases. Assess factors such as how often existing items have been worn, the number of the same item you have, and create a rule of one in, one out. This could mean selling unused items on platforms like Vinted or giving them to charity. Budgeting is also key – the last thing you want to do is engage in compulsive spending before the non-negotiable spending has occurred. The non-negotiables are the monthly bills, etc., that we need to cover first. Only once all other financial commitments per month have been achieved, would we consider ‘treating’ ourselves to the purchase of an item.’
Healthier habits to replace compulsive shopping
King says that because compulsive shopping often hijacks the dopamine system, part of recovery includes discovering new, nourishing ways to boost dopamine, without the crash.
Some alternatives King recommends include:
- Movement-based joy – dancing, hiking, swimming, or even just rebounding on a mini-trampoline
- Creative flow – painting, pottery, journaling, photography, music
- Mini novelty hits – changing your walking route, trying a new recipe, or learning a small new skill
- Sensory pleasures – essential oils, textured blankets, or a hot shower with music
- Micro-rewards – checking something off a list, completing a puzzle, watching a sunset
- Playful interaction – board games, spontaneous humour, animal time
- Mindful rituals – breathwork, yoga nidra, cold-water dips, or tea meditations
King says, ‘Importantly, these aren’t ‘replacements’ to fix a problem. They’re invitations to experience pleasure in ways that align with your healing, not escape from your pain.’
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