Wednesday, September 14, 2005

The Downward Spiral of Spending Addiction

In my lifetime, because of my nature and my careers, I've had the good fortune to meet many thousands of people (my goal is to meet 2 million people). Over the years, I've noticed, in speaking to many people, that an overwhelming cause of addiction - whether to intoxicants or to overspending or something else - is depression. Some forms of depression appear to be chemical; others are due to unresolved feelings about a traumatic experience. Addiction, particularly to spending, then becomes a means of controlling some small slice of euphoria, of positive feelings. The downward spiral - sometimes into severe financial problems - is due to the fact that the euphoria experienced is impermanent, and so it increases the level of depression.

North American society has been suffering unprecedented levels of what is called "functional depression". In this form, you can carry out a career and day-to-day tasks. But your depression erodes your physical and mental health, eventually reducing your competency in almost anything you do. You're likely to take increasingly more sick days, which usually leads to being fired or possibly long-term disability.

The net result can be total nervous breakdown, violent outbursts, or even financial self-sabotage, possibly resulting in the breakdown of family and personal relationships, inability to hold down a job, and sometimes serious debt problems or even bankruptcy (although the latter can happen for other reasons including bad business decisions and being cheated by partners).

While I personally don't believe in medicating all of our problems, I don't think I need to tell you, if you're depressed, to go see a psychiatrist, therapist, doctor, or some other alternative health practitioner. Your mental, physical, and possibly your financial future depend on it.

(c) Copyright 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://smackeroonies.blogspot.com

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