For a moment, imagine waking up with a five-alarm hangover and seeing a slew of bank notifications popping up on your screen. If this has ever happened to you or someone you know, you are one of 50% of adult Americans who have fallen victim to the growing epidemic of “drunk shopping.” Hundreds of thousands of people have purchased a variety of useless, pointless items during or after hitting the bottle. (In fact, people are probably making these purchases even as you are reading these words.) According to recent statistics, the reality of the matter is jaw-dropping, and has literally become a full-blown tragedy for many people, besides the effects of alcohol abuse and addiction that are bound to set in after drinking. Let’s take a closer look at the bizarre epidemic of “drunk shopping” in America.
Big Bucks by the Bottle
According to recent statistics collected by Finder.com, the numbers are far more outrageous than you may have guessed. In 2017 alone, out of a group of 2,000 people, Americans spent an estimated $448 per person, nearly double from the amount spent in 2016. In other words, people in the United States are blowing away billions of dollars on a yearly basis, all due to the problems of drunk shopping. Even more interesting, men seem to spend more than women ($546 to $282). Meanwhile, Generation X spent the most amount of money overall at $738 in 2017, almost 3 times more than millennials spent ($206 per person) in the same year.
Booze-Fueled Purchases
So, what on earth are people buying while they are tossing back some drinks? According to the Finder.com study, an estimated 61% of shoppers revealed they purchased shoes and clothes (26% of people) or spent money on gambling (25% of people).
So, what could make the situation even worse? How about the fact that retail stores are encouraging traffic constituting drunk customers and have added additional sales after 9:00 PM? Also, let’s not forget that, besides the clothes and lottery tickets, alcohol itself is a very costly drug, as well.
Always remember that alcohol does not have control over your life. You do. Are you suffering from a substance use disorder or a severe form of addiction? Do you have a friend or family member suffering from one or more of these debilitating illnesses? If you do, get in touch with Asana Recovery today. Our counselors and healthcare experts are ready to walk you through every step of the detox and withdrawal process and rehabilitation and guide you towards living a happier, healthier, and freer lifestyle. While the road to recovery might not be an easy road to travel, we promise to help you every step of the way. Take the first step to stay fit, healthy, and safe.
The time for you to take back control of your life is now. If you are interested in one of our residential treatment or supervised detoxification/withdrawal programs, we are ready and waiting to speak with you at your disclosure. Call Asana now at (949) 438-4504 to learn how to overcome your alcohol abuse or addiction troubles today.
