It's more than drugs and alcohol - today's addicts get shopping and exercise fixes
Story by Rachael Carlomagno
Photos by Elliot Cramer
Purchasing a $500 diamond ring, here, splurging on a $1,000 Louis Vuitton bag, there. This may seem like a day in the life of the rich and famous, but these are items bought by self-proclaimed shopaholic Amanda Royko.
Stress, loneliness, fear, delight, sadness and excitement are feelings that bombard people on a daily basis. But when these feelings get too tough to take, a growing number of people are hiding behind modern addictions to boost their spirits.
“I can relate it to alcoholism,” says Royko, a freshman exploratory major. “I can spend hundreds of dollars by myself. I shop when I’m happy, upset, bored or sad, and I know most other people don’t do that.”
While many people find healthy methods of coping with stress, others seek comfort by shopping, exercising, net surfing, text messaging, playing video games and other seemingly harmless behaviors that can get out of control. When in excess, these behaviors can form an all-consuming addiction.
“I have to put road blocks in front of myself to keep me out of trouble,” says Royko, who only pays in cash. “If I got a credit card and started spending money I don’t have, I would get in trouble.”
She jokingly says her love of shopping started before she was born because her mother went into labor with her in a mall. But she says she knows it‘s something she must control.
“I don’t spend a lot of money that I don’t have, but if I can afford something, it makes me feel good to buy it,” says Royko, who comes from an upper-middle class background.
Dina Douglas, emergency services manager at Townhall II, says college is students first time away from home. Many feel that they need to control a piece of their life, whether it’s how much they drink, exercise, eat or spend.
Douglas says there is no difference between hard and soft addictions. All addictions are driven by something deeper.
“People come up with newer stuff to help ease the pain,” she says. “People always find something else, instead of dealing with the real problem head on. Sometimes it is easier for people just to crumple down in their addiction than identify the issues.
Royko’s parents don’t want her to work while attending school, so her spending has decreased. She works when she goes home on school breaks, but she inevitably spends most of what she earns.
“At one point I had three jobs at the mall,” she says. “I’d cash my checks from the mall, and at least half of it was gone the weekend I got it.”
Her parents worry that Royko is careless with money. She knows their fears are merited and hopes to learn how to be more sensible with money. When she starts her career as an interior designer, she says she will be forced to save more money.”
“I worry about my shopping because they say the more you make, the more you spend,” she says.
Although she laughs about her love of shopping, she understands how it negatively affects her life.
Royko says she would gladly skip going out with friends so she could buy something she’s been eyeing at the mall.
“I shop anytime I can,” says Royko, who uses shopping as a stress reliever. “If I’m upset or sad, it makes me feel better because it gives me that euphoric feeling that I’m missing. Even if I don’t buy something, it takes my mind off things while looking around.”
Therapists encourage addicts to look at why they this activity to make themselves feel good. With modern vices, there is a thin line between enjoying something and feeding an addiction that could cause personal problems.
Douglas says these vices are partly a reflection of society because people approve of certain behaviors without looking at the people excessively doing them.
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