Then suddenly there was no more joy left in the act of shopping on-line. There was no room left in the house for one more item. Literally! 

My credit card was maxed out, and paying each month became increasingly challenging. To make matters worse, I felt increasingly isolated from the people around me. 

Relations with my loved ones and friends had deteriorated to such an extent that I met with mounting frustration and anger at every turn.

I found myself trying to hide purchases when they arrived—rather impossible with so little space—and/or lying to cover up recent purchases.

I was trapped.  My preoccupation with planning my next browse and purchase was forcibly put on hold, and my emotional stability increasingly slipped away.  Not only that, I felt physically unwell as the stress of not buying weighed heavier and heavier every day.

I didn’t know it, but I was in withdrawal.  My saving grace was knowing I wasn’t alone.  Some cold, hard facts about my condition slammed against my self-imposed reality with such force that I was jolted into reality.