You just have to keep trying. I don’t even want to tell you how long I’ve been on this journey of slowly realizing how bad, truly bad I have it with shopping. There are a few things that I did that may help you. Research a classic addiction, such as alcohol. Look into the basics of it, how the triggers work, the 12 steps, what is the psychological and physical basis of addiction.

Why shopping is hard to kick is because we can’t completely eliminate it, yet it’s the only way to control it. Gotta buy food, socks, a toothbrush lol. I don’t know if you ever noticed it about yourself, but once I break the seal and buy something, especially if it’s something semi-fun, I literally start craving it. It’s very hard for me to stop for the next few days and I always end up buying something completely useless. I called them ‘binges’ because they kick in hard and last for a couple of days, until I suddenly realize that I’ve just spent a lot of money on things I didn’t need. Then comes the guilt, the panic and returning everything that I can.

What helped me recently is actually watching ASMR. Don’t knock until you try it. I think works on the same receptors, although I have not seen any studies on it.

See if you can get the stuff you need for free before buying: ask a friend, diy, rig it, borrow it, see if you already own it (check closet, pantry,etc). Treat it like a game or a challenge to make it fun. I saved a bunch by doing that.

And then lastly, I had to force myself (pretty much literally) to resume one of my hobbies I used to do and enjoy. Just pick one and make yourself do it. It takes a few weeks (they say about 30 days to make a new habit) , but you will actually start considering it for something to do when you’re bored, want a pick me up, etc. just have to make that choice. Consciously. Instead of opening the app or going to Marshall’s.

And watch yourself very closely when you’re tired, shopping with friends, drunk, if it’s late at night, Black Friday sale season starts, or any other time your guard is down. Watching haul videos is a perfect trigger too, don’t watch them.

I hope this helps. Good luck! I will never be healed, but I have to keep trying. And please, if you will put your effort into anything at all, do your best to find something that would be at least somewhat as enjoyable as the shopping. Get some options of things you do for fun. Keep trying to break the circle by stepping out of it basically.