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Volume 7, Issue 5(Suppl) J Addict Res Ther
ISSN:2155-6105 JART, an open access journal
Page 24
Addiction Therapy 2016
October 03-05, 2016
conferenceseries.com
October 03-05, 2016 Atlanta, USA
5th International Conference and Exhibition on
Addiction Research & Therapy
Terrence Shulman, J Addict Res Ther 2016, 7:5(Suppl)
Bought out & spent ! Understanding & treating compulsive $hopping and $pending
We all shop for many reasons but the addict buys to relieve anxiety and over time the buying creates a dysfunctional lifestyle
and more and more of their focus is on shopping and sometimes the cover-up too. Statistics reveal that approximately
10% of Americans (roughly 30 million people) meet the criteria for a compulsive buying/shopping/spending diagnosis. Other
research reveals that the average American is at least $10,000 (ten thousand dollars) in debt and that arguments over money
and spending are the leading cause of relationship conflicts and break-ups. People are getting hooked on store shopping, TV
shopping and Internet shopping. There are various patterns of overshopping that people engage in, including:
Compulsive shoppers – shop to distract feelings; “when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping”
Trophy shoppers – find the perfect accessory for outfits, etc. High class items will do.
Image shoppers – pick up tab, expensive cars, highly visible stuff
Bargain shoppers – buy stuff they don’t need just because it is a good deal. Out for the hunt.
Codependent shoppers – to gain love and approval
Bulimic Shoppers – buy and return, buy and return (similar to actual bulimia)
Collector Shoppers – have to have complete sets of objects or different colors of same style of clothing
But what causes someone to become a compulsive shopper/spender? And what can be done to treat it?
Biography
Terrence Shulman is a native Detroiter. Mr. Shulman completed his undergraduate degree in English Literature at the University of Michigan in 1987. He graduated
from The Detroit College of Law in 1991 and has been an attorney-at-law since 1992 specializing in mental health law and criminal defense work. He returned to
and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1997 and has since then been a full-time certified social worker and addictions therapist. He worked as a counselor
at a chemical dependency clinic from 1997 – 2004 and was the clinic director from 1998 – 2000. Since 2004, Mr. Shulman has been the Founder/Director of The
Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft, Spending and Hoarding in metro-Detroit. He counsels clients in person and by phone from across the U.S. and Canada.
He has authored four recovery books: “Something for Nothing: Shoplifting Addiction and Recovery” (2003), “Biting The Hand That Feeds: The Employee Theft
Epidemic” (2005), “Bought Out and $pent! Recovery from Compulsive $hopping and $pending” (2008), and “Cluttered Lives, Empty Souls: Compulsive Stealing,
Spending and Hoarding” (2011). Mr. Shulman has organized and presented at many conferences across the U.S. He has also been featured in numerous media
interviews including The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2004. Mr. Shulman has been in recovery himself since March 1990 from addictive-compulsive shoplifting and
stealing. He is the founder of C.A.S.A. (Cleptomaniacs and Shoplifters Anonymous) which has support groups in the metro-Detroit area and across the U.S.
Terrence Shulman
The Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft, Spending and Hoarding, USA