So, yesterday I read an extract from a Wikipedia article on “Oniomania” last night.

I did this after I googled “addicted to shopping” as my husband has been telling me for years that I am.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the phrase (and I was one of you until last night) “Oniomania is the technical term for the compulsive desire to shop, more commonly referred to as compulsive shopping, shopping addiction, shopaholism, compulsive buying or CB. All of these are considered to be either clinical addictions or impulse control disorders”. After reading a little more of the article, I realised that my husband was indeed correct, this is me, I am addicted to shopping.

Some of you may be thinking how very silly, you cannot be addicted to shopping, you make a choice about whether or not you purchase an item. But in my mind, an alcoholic also has a choice about whether or not they have a drink.

I’m a strong believer that every single human being has an addiction of some sort. For one of my very good friends, it’s an addiction to exercise. She used to visit the gym every single morning for at least an hour before coming in to work and then used to hit the gym for two hours afterward as well. She ended up getting ill from the sheer amount of exercise she was doing, partly because of how hard she pushing herself and partly because of how much it restricted the times she could eat.

My other friend is a size 22 and just can’t stop eating, sometimes demolishing 4 chocolate bars and two packets of crisps whilst at work. (That’s as well as a full breakfast, lunch and dinner).

My addiction is just as extreme as these to examples. This month, I have spent the same amount on clothes, shoes and general stuff as I earn in one month. Yes that’s right, I did this morning what most compulsive shoppers do which is to add up everything on my bank statement that is either a clothing or shoes purchase.

I shocked even myself with the sheer number of purchases I had made, their value and worryingly, that I can’t even remember the items I actually bought. So I have taken a drastic step which is to give my husband my debit card. I have a small amount of cash on me which can buy me lunch if necessary but other than that I have nothing. I have cut up my other debit card so I now how no way of spending any additional money.

It’s killing me already, as soon as I got into work I wanted to go straight onto the Reiss website to have a look at their sale and on the Whistles website to see if the jumper I’ve got me eye on is finally back in stock. I will purchase the jumper but I will do so with the £200 I have now set aside to spend on clothing &/or shoes every month. I’m going cold turkey…

But that doesn’t mean I can’t post pictures of items of clothing I lust after on my blog : )

Apparently some Psychologists believe that oniomania occurs because the person has a need to feel special or to combat loneliness.

For me it’s not that at all, it’s that when I was younger my parents really didn’t have any money. As a very young child they bought all my clothes from Boot Sales. Now the thought of actually going to one makes me almost hyperventilate. They also had no money for holidays, I didn’t go on a plane until I was 15 and that was toSpain, in January. So holidays have also become quite an obsession for me. Basically I am obsessed with everything I did not have as a child and equally obsessed that my children will never have to go without as I did.

But wanting my sake and eating it means that I have racked up quite a considerable debt even though I am only 24 not once, but twice. I guess yesterday really was my realisation that I had to change if I ever wanted to move on to bigger purchases such as buying my first home. And it came because I have recently ordered an awful lot of stuff online. The parcels that had been delivered for me were piled up in the corner or the dining room and I realised just how much I must be spending. Needless to say, everything that can go back, will go back and I’m just going to have to stop spending…