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By Root 522 0

his hoarding, but the act of shopping made him feel so good that he justified it to himself. On any given day he’d head off to his favorite big-box store, and he might tell himself that he’d just see what the sales were but wouldn’t actually buy anything. But then he would come home with hundreds of dollars’ worth of items. One could imagine his rationalization: “I know I shouldn’t do this; my credit card is maxed out. But this jacket fits me perfectly and it’s such a bargain. And my sister would love this silk flower arrangement. If I buy it for her, then she will come over and we can sit and have coffee like we used to. I should get new coffee mugs since this set is on sale. What the heck, my credit card will probably get turned down anyway.”

When Kurt’s card went through and he had toted his new purchases home, the guilt would set in. “I shouldn’t have bought that much stuff,” he would think. “I have got to stop shopping so much. I will bring those mugs back tomorrow. I’ll put them on this pile of other things that I have got to take back. Boy, this place is a mess. I have got to start sorting through this stuff and sell some of it online. I know I can get a lot of money for it.” But instead of sorting, Kurt would just go shopping again the next day.

According to Dr. Chabaud, researchers are still debating about whether hoarding is an impulse disorder, a compulsion, or an addiction. While one may casually use the term “shopaholic” to describe people like Kurt and Marcie, a true “addiction” would indicate that the addict goes through physical withdrawal symptoms if he or she tries to stop the behavior. Anecdotally, I don’t see this happening with hoarders. To me their behavior looks more like a compulsion, which is a behavior that feels so good that a person does it to excess. I do see serious hoarding compulsions that have a lot in common with addictions like alcoholism and drug addiction, and I’m not a psychologist, so I tend to use the word “addiction” to describe hoarding, even though it may truly be more of a compulsion.

Hoarders who shop, or who go “Dumpster diving,” definitely do it because it feels good. These hoarders get a primal rush from the “hunt and gather” experience. This rush helps them avoid the reality of what is truly going on in their lives. Rescuing a broken television set from someone’s alleyway trash pile is a thrill. These hoarders don’t stop to think about whether or not they have the time to fix that TV, along with the dozens of other broken appliances they have gathered.

For collectors, the excitement of finding a long-sought, rare Michael Jackson album on vinyl is all about scoring. They’re never going to play it. But they feel powerful and happy when they buy it. The hoarder feels like a success because he or she just got a valuable item. There’s a level of excitement that releases adrenaline in the brain, and when that adrenaline high fades, the hoarder goes back for more. That’s when it begins to look like an addiction, because the hoarder’s happiness is linked to the item, not to any sense of self-worth.

Animal hoarders have a similar thing going on, with the constant love they get from their pets. Anytime an animal hoarder feels down, there’s a cat right there to share some affection, which can quickly become a substitute for human relationships. Receiving love endorphin hits all day is a happy way for anyone to live. Hoarders get to feel that exciting rush every time they go shopping, go Dumpster diving, or reach for one of three dozen affectionate dogs. Especially when the rest of a hoarder’s life isn’t going well, it’s easy to see how this behavior could become an addiction.

Some experts argue that addicts never change their personalities; they just substitute healthy addictions for unhealthy ones. So a smoker might give up cigarettes and turn instead to the exercise addiction of running marathons. I see this sometimes with hoarders, and I encourage the replacement behavior if it seems positive.

For example, as we cleaned Kurt’s house, it became clear that it needed major repairs.