Have you ever bought something and then changed your mind? For Alison Jenson, 15, this used to happen several times a week. Alison was a shopaholic. She just couldn't stop shopping and she loved special offers.
Alison's bedroom is full of stuff. "I've been to every shop in Birmingham, I think, "says Alison. She picks up some earrings. The labels are still on them. "These were half price, "she says. "I've never won them. "Alison's problem wasn't just jewellery. She also bought a lot of clothes, though not many shoes, because they were usually too expensive. She has also bought lots of other small things — like 20 new covers for her phone. She hasn't used any of them.
According to experts, we all feel excited after we buy something new. For shopaholics, it's a little different. Soon after they buy something, they think they've made a mistake and start to feel unhappy. So they buy themselves something else to feel happier.
Psychologists （心理学家）first described the problems of shopaholics in 1915. However, there was very little research on the subject until recently. Now, doctors think thousands of people suffer from the problem, and the situation is getting worse. There are also more teenage shopaholics now, although most young people don't have enough money to go shopping very regularly.
Alison knew she had a problem. "I often bought something every day. Usually it was something small, but I just needed to buy it, "she says. "I spent money that I got for my birthday, and when I was short of cash, I borrowed money from friends or my parents. When I couldn't go shopping, I felt anxious. Then one day, my parents just looked at all the stuff in my room and said, This is crazy! 'I knewtheywere right. "I needed some big changes in my life.
Alison now gets help with her problem and feels she has changed. She no longer thinks she's a shopaholic. "When I want to buy something in a shop, I ask myself two questions, "she says. "Do I need it? Can I afford it? The answer to both questions is usually 'no', so I walk away. It's great!"
