(Continued from the main Credit Card Addiction Stories page)

a card to use, and use it she did!  "I shopped every week, sometimes three times a week, and I don't even know how much I was charging.  Mom and Dad paid the bill."  This behavior went on until Janis was out of college.  She was cut off when she graduated, so she opened accounts of her own.  The same behavior she learned as a child with a credit card continued, only this time, Janis had to pay her own bill.  "The first month, I opened the bill and freaked out!  I had charged like $3000 and I only made $2000 a month.  I had a really hard time learning to manage my spending.  After I got married, my husband and I fought about it all the time.  I really think that's why we divorced."  Janis had been seeing a therapist to help her deal with her divorce.  He also began helping her see that her spending habits were unhealthy and suggested that she consult a financial councelor to help her with money management.  “I couldn't do it on my own because I hadn't learned the skills I needed to be smart with my money.  I learned from my therapist that I spend money to fill an emotional void.  I am working at recognizing that when I shop."