(Continued from the main Awareness & Recovery page)

• Fact: Many people are forced to stay at a job they hate because they have more bills than they can handle. 
• Fact: Credit card companies spend millions of dollars per year to send representatives to local colleges and encourage students to sign up for credit cards. Card offers are placed in bags along with all bookstore purchases, card companies buy alumni lists to solicit cards to students. If you sign up on campus you get prizes such as a free candy bar, free t-shirt, etc. 
• Fact: Credit cards are not a source of supplemental income. If you spend more than you can pay off in a month or two, you are living beyond your means. 
• Fact: Many people said they felt "free" to buy whatever they wanted when they first got a credit card. Those who accumulated debt said they feel less "free". They stay at jobs they hate and fear that if they ever hit "hard times" they won't be able to bail themselves out. 
• Fact: Paying interest is like buying nothing. You are literally giving money away each month you keep a balance on your credit card. 
• Fact: Your interest is an extra bill. You may not notice it, but you're paying money every month just to be in debt.