COMMENT
Quiz: Are You A Credit Addict?

Here's my confession: "My name's Cliff and I'm a credit addict."

I've been drowning in debt twice in my life. The first problem began while I was at university and continued for several years afterwards. The second was the result of a five-year gambling bender.

In fact, as my Foolish colleagues will confirm, whatever I do, I tend to do it obsessively. Anyway, enough about me. I've come up with a quiz to help identify credit addicts. Take this test to see if you're in control of your plastic or, worryingly, whether it's ruling your life!

1. Your credit-card company ups your credit limit by £1,000. Do you buy yourself a treat or go on a shopping spree to celebrate your good fortune?
   
2. Do you get nervous, panic or break out in a sweat when you see a bill on your doormat?
   
3. Are you a financial ostrich? In other words, do you bury your head in the sand by not opening your bank, loan and credit-card statements?
   
4. Have you started skipping loan or other repayments? Did you say to yourself: "I'll need a breather; I'll skip this month's repayment and make up the difference later."?
   
5. Be honest: do you see your credit-card limit as a target, not a limit?
   
6. If you see something that you can't afford, do you ever think: "No problem, I'll just stick it on my plastic!"?
   
7. Do you have no idea where your money goes, how much you're spending or how much you owe?
   
8. Does talking or thinking about money makes you seriously stressed, so you prefer to avoid the subject - or do you lie awake at night worrying?
   
9. Do your monthly repayments purely go towards meeting your mounting interest bill, so you're not chipping away at your debt at all?
   
10. Are you attracted to adverts that promise "affordable secured loans"? You may have seen these in the back of the paper, or in a TV ad featuring a D-list celebrity.

If you've answered "Yes" to, say, three or more of my questions, then I suspect that you may already be a credit addict or, to put it bluntly, a "debt junkie"! If this is the case, it's time to tackle your excessive spending and borrowing.

Some people over-spend when they're feeling cheerful, others when they're feeling blue. However, the plain truth is that while over-spending may bring temporary pleasure, it also guarantees long-term misery. In its extreme forms, an addiction to "retail therapy" and borrowing can be as damaging as eating disorders, drinking problems, gambling or drug abuse.

Don't let debt destroy your life. Read our Getting Out of Debt handbook or visit our Get Out of Debt centre today!

More: How Your Credit Cards Kill You | Is Your Card A Lifelong Debt?