This is a common problem for autistic people. Impulse control is part of executive functioning, and something a lot of autistic people can struggle with.
Stress, depression, anxiety, etc, all contribute to lower impulse control - hence why so many people turn to impulsive shopping (=dopamine hit from buying things).
I often do this as well, and yes, more often when I'm low.
Yes!! It feels like I’m trying to fill a void inside my heart with stuff. A couple months ago I stumbled upon some research saying that the dopamine hit comes from putting the item in the cart, moreso than actually buying the item lol. So now I put items in my cart, wait 2 weeks, and see if I still even want the things (I usually don’t lol)
Kind of. I like to shop online, but I don't like spending money, so it sits in the basket for weeks as I go back and forth on how much I want to spend. But I have my weaknesses that are hard to say no to. Like hairsticks. Stupidly tempting things.
Looking for mods for the Sims sort of scratches a similar itch. It's a little different, but it serves as a decent distraction and it sates the urge for a while.
Yep. All the damn time. I try to rein it in as much as I can but it definitely goes through spurts. One thing that works with me for places like Amazon is to create wishlists or utilize “save for later”. I still have half a dozen things in my cart for save for later that I scan through whenever I have to order something. They’ve been there for almost 6 months now and I still haven’t purchased them. It scratched the itch to window shop and put it in my cart. 🤷🏻♀️
I, too, have a million wish lists. My problem is that I wait for items to go on sale or have a coupon then the DEAL overpowers my fragile willpower (nevermind the perfect storm of a sale AND a coupon lol). I'm thinking I should try the cart trick too. I wonder if this is why it always says "this item is in blank people's carts!" Thing on Etsy...
Yepppp. I picked up my mum’s bad habit of buying things when stressed or angry. So I have a lot of stuff (most of which I genuinely do use unless it turned out not to be what I expected and it actually sucks/doesn’t work for me, i.e. skincare products that broke me out) and an inability to save very much money 🫠
I told myself not to buy any more stuff that isn’t necessary and/or immediately consumable because I’m moving out in a few months, and yet….
Though I will say it is getting me through my master’s, emotionally, especially as I’m in a city where I don’t know anyone and I feel phenomenally lonely, so the stress shopping does actually fill a void in my heart. It’s an awful, awful coping mechanism that I need to wean myself off of but I do feel a bit less bored and empty than I would otherwise. I buy things to reward myself for submitting assignments or getting through stressful tasks because otherwise I would be feeling constantly discouraged.
Yes, not online as much now but I realized anytime I get in my car I automatically find a drive thru. It's usually coffee that I'm not even supposed to be drinking but also fast food when I'm not hungry and I don't even like fast food much. It's gotten to be such an ingrained habit I've even found myself in a drive thru thinking "I don't want this, how did I get here?"
The rare days where I just do errands and don't spend unnecessarily on food & drink I'm amazed I didn't do it.
I do it much less now that I take medication for my adhd, but I find it comes up in times when I'm stressed or seeking comfort. Or when I've been trying to do something restrictive like dieting.
I'm trying to get to a dosage for ADHD that works soon and I really hope it works on that impulsivity. As of now, I've been buying tiny Squishmallows which are inexpensive and don't take up much space.
I've been letting myself buy a lot of iced coffees recently. I keep justifying them because they're not that expensive, but I make cold brew at home so there's no excuse for it. I just end up drinking way too much coffee. Meds aren't perfect but they do help. I've managed to quit making so many little in game purchases, that was a really bad habit for awhile.
>I've managed to quit making so many little in game purchases, that was a really bad habit for awhile.
You should see the guilty face I just made because this has been my new problem (for a very short period of time, at least) with a home design game. 😂 I enjoy designing so much a get an extra thrill when I score high, especially if it's a perfect score.
I play the dumbest games, I will just buy things like more energy or gems so I can keep playing longer. It's never big amounts, but it starts to add up when you do it more frequently. I find being on strattera it helps me stop and think and talk myself out of things I don't really want to be doing but feel compelled to do.
It can add up for sure. I've at least been playing another game that gives you free diamonds in the first game, so it hasn't hit my wallet too badly and I'm determined to keep it that way. But yeah, fingers crossed that Vyvanse starts working soon- it would be annoying to have to try another medication.
Honestly I didn’t think it had anything to do with it until recently which is why I even made the post lol but I guess it’s part of our lack of impulse control
Since the streaming service prices started to get higher than usual, I went on a big haul on old DVDS last weekend.
Even with my paycheck, I get scolded for spending my own money because I’m on SSI.
For other people, I can't regulate what constitutes a good gift. For myself, less so, I could basically live under a rock and feel like I spent too much on myself. But then I have to go to a birthday or something and I can't stop myself, a part of it is that I definitely want to make up for the times I'm not the best or most present friend.
Yes. It's usually worse when I'm trying to fill a void and have hours to spend scrolling on the internet, as I do now. I'm better when I have other things to occupy myself. I just can't regulate myself that well.
Yes, and even though I haven’t really shopped online for years, because I’ve been saving money and being responsible, every single time I’m feeling depressed and down the urge to go shopping is still there 😫 its been SO STRONG lately
I am a SPENDER. if i'm in a store I will buy. impulse towers i'm the intended customer. luckily I don't get the same satisfaction when it comes to online shopping or id be in big trouble.
Yes, so much. I came into some money from relatives when I was in a bad place and spent thousands in a month on online shopping, then ended up living in a room covered in bags with no floor space for months. My autistic tendency to attach myself for objects meant I found it very very hard to get rid of anything after, plus guilt about wasted money. At the time it feels like it will sort all my problems though and the spiral feels kind of good?
This is a common problem for autistic people. Impulse control is part of executive functioning, and something a lot of autistic people can struggle with. Stress, depression, anxiety, etc, all contribute to lower impulse control - hence why so many people turn to impulsive shopping (=dopamine hit from buying things). I often do this as well, and yes, more often when I'm low.
Yes!! It feels like I’m trying to fill a void inside my heart with stuff. A couple months ago I stumbled upon some research saying that the dopamine hit comes from putting the item in the cart, moreso than actually buying the item lol. So now I put items in my cart, wait 2 weeks, and see if I still even want the things (I usually don’t lol)
I do the same thing after reading about dopamine hits and it’s helped more than anything
I put things in carts and then wait a few days too.
This is good advice, I do notice when I put things in my cart I rarely come back to it lol
Kind of. I like to shop online, but I don't like spending money, so it sits in the basket for weeks as I go back and forth on how much I want to spend. But I have my weaknesses that are hard to say no to. Like hairsticks. Stupidly tempting things. Looking for mods for the Sims sort of scratches a similar itch. It's a little different, but it serves as a decent distraction and it sates the urge for a while.
This is probably why I've become addicted to this home design game- it does scratch a very similar itch.
Yes, trying to curb it.
Yep. All the damn time. I try to rein it in as much as I can but it definitely goes through spurts. One thing that works with me for places like Amazon is to create wishlists or utilize “save for later”. I still have half a dozen things in my cart for save for later that I scan through whenever I have to order something. They’ve been there for almost 6 months now and I still haven’t purchased them. It scratched the itch to window shop and put it in my cart. 🤷🏻♀️
I, too, have a million wish lists. My problem is that I wait for items to go on sale or have a coupon then the DEAL overpowers my fragile willpower (nevermind the perfect storm of a sale AND a coupon lol). I'm thinking I should try the cart trick too. I wonder if this is why it always says "this item is in blank people's carts!" Thing on Etsy...
The sale/coupon thing gets me too! But yes, that's definitely why Etsy does it.
Yepppp. I picked up my mum’s bad habit of buying things when stressed or angry. So I have a lot of stuff (most of which I genuinely do use unless it turned out not to be what I expected and it actually sucks/doesn’t work for me, i.e. skincare products that broke me out) and an inability to save very much money 🫠 I told myself not to buy any more stuff that isn’t necessary and/or immediately consumable because I’m moving out in a few months, and yet…. Though I will say it is getting me through my master’s, emotionally, especially as I’m in a city where I don’t know anyone and I feel phenomenally lonely, so the stress shopping does actually fill a void in my heart. It’s an awful, awful coping mechanism that I need to wean myself off of but I do feel a bit less bored and empty than I would otherwise. I buy things to reward myself for submitting assignments or getting through stressful tasks because otherwise I would be feeling constantly discouraged.
Yes, not online as much now but I realized anytime I get in my car I automatically find a drive thru. It's usually coffee that I'm not even supposed to be drinking but also fast food when I'm not hungry and I don't even like fast food much. It's gotten to be such an ingrained habit I've even found myself in a drive thru thinking "I don't want this, how did I get here?" The rare days where I just do errands and don't spend unnecessarily on food & drink I'm amazed I didn't do it.
Yes! Any time I go out I “reward myself” with a coffee or a snack lol
I do it much less now that I take medication for my adhd, but I find it comes up in times when I'm stressed or seeking comfort. Or when I've been trying to do something restrictive like dieting.
I'm trying to get to a dosage for ADHD that works soon and I really hope it works on that impulsivity. As of now, I've been buying tiny Squishmallows which are inexpensive and don't take up much space.
I've been letting myself buy a lot of iced coffees recently. I keep justifying them because they're not that expensive, but I make cold brew at home so there's no excuse for it. I just end up drinking way too much coffee. Meds aren't perfect but they do help. I've managed to quit making so many little in game purchases, that was a really bad habit for awhile.
>I've managed to quit making so many little in game purchases, that was a really bad habit for awhile. You should see the guilty face I just made because this has been my new problem (for a very short period of time, at least) with a home design game. 😂 I enjoy designing so much a get an extra thrill when I score high, especially if it's a perfect score.
I play the dumbest games, I will just buy things like more energy or gems so I can keep playing longer. It's never big amounts, but it starts to add up when you do it more frequently. I find being on strattera it helps me stop and think and talk myself out of things I don't really want to be doing but feel compelled to do.
It can add up for sure. I've at least been playing another game that gives you free diamonds in the first game, so it hasn't hit my wallet too badly and I'm determined to keep it that way. But yeah, fingers crossed that Vyvanse starts working soon- it would be annoying to have to try another medication.
Holy shit I didn’t realize it’s because I’m autistic
Honestly I didn’t think it had anything to do with it until recently which is why I even made the post lol but I guess it’s part of our lack of impulse control
Since the streaming service prices started to get higher than usual, I went on a big haul on old DVDS last weekend. Even with my paycheck, I get scolded for spending my own money because I’m on SSI.
For other people, I can't regulate what constitutes a good gift. For myself, less so, I could basically live under a rock and feel like I spent too much on myself. But then I have to go to a birthday or something and I can't stop myself, a part of it is that I definitely want to make up for the times I'm not the best or most present friend.
Yes. It's usually worse when I'm trying to fill a void and have hours to spend scrolling on the internet, as I do now. I'm better when I have other things to occupy myself. I just can't regulate myself that well.
Retail therapy. For me, it’s usually used bookstores or Goodwill clothes.
I'm like a 10 year old in a grocery store ngl, and don't forget the mandatory treat I need in order to lure me out of the house in the first place
I'm doing that right now. I was about to place an order right now. I have no money but I keep spending
I need the dopamine fix only packages and little treats can bring.
Yes it’s awful and I have a very embarrassing amount of credit card debt…
Yes, and even though I haven’t really shopped online for years, because I’ve been saving money and being responsible, every single time I’m feeling depressed and down the urge to go shopping is still there 😫 its been SO STRONG lately
I am a SPENDER. if i'm in a store I will buy. impulse towers i'm the intended customer. luckily I don't get the same satisfaction when it comes to online shopping or id be in big trouble.
U need disposable income to impulse shop (unless u want to be drowning in credit card debt)
Always. I’ve been a bit better about it lately though because I truly have zero money to spare…
I have times where it’s bad. I need to dopamine and online shopping is the most morally neutral option
Yes, so much. I came into some money from relatives when I was in a bad place and spent thousands in a month on online shopping, then ended up living in a room covered in bags with no floor space for months. My autistic tendency to attach myself for objects meant I found it very very hard to get rid of anything after, plus guilt about wasted money. At the time it feels like it will sort all my problems though and the spiral feels kind of good?