You know the drill. It's 11pm, you're doom-scrolling, and suddenly you NEED a pair of neon platform sandals you'll never wear. But for some, that impulse buy becomes a full-blown addiction - and a global study says 7% of adults are in the club, with younger women leading the charge.

Take Ella Hewitt, 24, from Liverpool. In 2021, she was blowing up to £700 a month on fast fashion she couldn't afford - and sometimes never even wore. “I didn't grow up with much money, so when I got a job I would spend my wages as soon as they hit my account,” she says. That dopamine hit, fueled by TikTok and Instagram feeds, kept her trapped in a cycle of buy, regret, repeat. As an HR assistant at a school, her spending left her unable to move out of her family home.

Horrified by her own habits, Ella fought back with a few clever tricks: adding items to a wishlist and waiting 30 days (the urge usually vanished), giving herself an imaginary £1,000 daily budget for fake purchases (which “scratched the itch” without the pain), and vowing to only buy something if she could afford it three times over. The result? Her spending dropped by 60%. Now an ethical fashion influencer, she admits, “I'm not perfect… but I am way more in control.”

The Ukat Group, which runs addiction treatment centers, says 90% of their shopping-addiction clients are women. Warning signs include mood boosts after purchases, guilt afterward, lying to loved ones, or a home full of useless stuff. Their advice? Wait 48 hours before buying, delete saved card details and shopping apps, stick to lists, and unsubscribe from those tempting retailer emails.

Then there's Dish Patel, 23, from London, who as a student “maxed out” her £2,500 overdraft on clothes, food, makeup, and skincare. She blamed childhood deprivation and the fleeting thrill of parcel-opening. Her cure: deleting apps like Asos and Pretty Little Thing, removing ApplePay, leaving bank cards at home, and making herself match any purchase with an equal amount into savings. “It worked because I didn't want to spend the money twice.”

Research from Vanquis last year found Gen Z makes more impulse buys than any other age group, with millennials close behind. Experts point to social media's targeted ads, influencer culture, and one-click checkout as the accelerant. Money and Mental Health charity also calls out the design of shopping sites that “minimize friction” and push Buy Now Pay Later options.

So next time you're about to buy that third candle at 2am, remember: the urge will pass. Probably.