Impulsive buying

[Itsonlyme26]

I know this problem is going to sound completely stupid and it most probably is when you compare it to most cases of OCD. However it makes me sad and I feel like it's a big problem but I do realise my mind is getting carried away with negative thoughts , as I usually do. I was addicted to strong painkillers for about 6 months as they made me feel so relaxed and they gave me the ability to function like a 'normal' person. I've stopped taking them now , 3 days clean and all the anxiety that they suppressed has come back which is really bad , i suffer with anxiety anyway , so I don't need double the amount of anxiety. I have a personality disorder where my moods are constantly up and down throughout the day which my hobbies , habits , interests can change instantly. As you can imagine having all this going through my head makes it extremely hard to know what I want and what I want to do with myself as I'm scared of my interests changing so quickly , I rarely start what I finish. My problem is I can't stop buying books ! I know this is very minor and causes no damage to anyone but it upsets me as I buy 5 books a month whilst I may only read one before buying another load the next month , due to my interests changing. One month I read true crime and the next I want conspiracy theories. I feel this has got out of hand now as I'm sick of wasting money ! This is very impulsive because I can't resist the thoughts of buying books and I can't resist the feeling so I just give in to the temptations of buying some. How can I stop?

[whoevenami]

Considering this is what you describe as an impulse, I'd recommend monitoring your impulses, and when doing so, make sure you do a reward and punishment system. By this I mean that when you start to get the feelings of the impulse, try to distract yourself from it with something else. So if you're feeling like you need to buy a book, maybe distract yourself by thinking of something else, such as 'I wonder what my friends are doing tonight', maybe even ask if they wanna go out!
By doing so you're helping cover up the need to buy books, and you're also replacing the impulses with better things, therefore rewarding yourself. As for punishments, you'll feel the punishments once you buy the books, and that's how bad you feel about doing so once you've bought it. I'm not sure this may have helped much but I'll always gladly offer advice, good luck on your recovery!

[Dave1]

Hi

Do these painkillers have a withdrawal period? If so, I personally wouldn't tackle the book problem immediately - I would just try to get through the withdrawal first.
I like your icon, BTW. :)

[MyNameIsTerry]

Have you discussed this with a professional? I know personality disorders can include impulse issues so is it part of OCD or part of the PD?

[SLA]

Also, the anxiety "they suppressed" is actually most likely withdrawal issues.

So this shouldnt be the expectation of how things are normally. Far from it.

5 books a month is probably very minor all things considered.

[jamesgdev]

I impulsively buy not sure if it is because of OCD of just love shopping

[MyNameIsTerry]

I impulsively buy not sure if it is because of OCD of just love shopping

Impulse Disorders differ from fear based disorders because they are based on reward seeking rather than reduction of fear.

But being impulsive is a million miles away from having a disorder just as being anxious is not the same as having it as a disorder.

Do you feel it is a problem? Do you feel like you can't stop it?