What Is Spenders Anonymous?

What is Spenders Anonymous?

Clinically, the behavior addressed in SA is often recognized as shopping addiction (oniomania) or buying-shopping disorder.

Unlike general financial advice, which focuses on math, SA focuses on behavior. While many people search for “Shopaholics Anonymous,” there is no official major organization by that specific name. Spenders Anonymous is the primary 12-step fellowship that serves this exact need.

The goal isn’t just to get out of debt—though that is often a result—but to address the underlying spiritual and emotional void that members attempt to fill with purchases.

Signs of Compulsive Spending & Shopping Addiction

Many people in Spenders Anonymous relate to specific behaviors that cause chaos in their lives, regardless of their income level:

• Running Up Debt: Accumulating credit card balances or taking out loans that cannot be repaid.
• Compulsive Shopping: Frequent “retail therapy” binges followed by intense guilt, shame, or remorse (the “buyer’s hangover”).
• Financial Infidelity: Hiding receipts, packages, or purchases from spouses to avoid conflict.
• Hoarding: Buying items that are never used, often leaving them in bags with price tags still attached.
• Emotional Spending: Using spending as a primary coping mechanism for stress, loneliness, or depression.

Spenders Anonymous vs. Debtors Anonymous

Understanding the difference between the financial recovery groups helps ensure you find the right meeting for your needs.

Many individuals are confused by the terminology. Here is how the groups relate:

Spenders Anonymous (SA)

• Primary Focus: The act of spending and the emotions behind it.
• Who It Is For: People who spend compulsively to change their mood, regardless of whether they have debt or wealth.

Debtors Anonymous (DA)

• Primary Focus: The incurrence of unsecured debt.
• Who It Is For: People whose primary struggle is borrowing money, using credit cards they cannot pay off, or under-earning.

“Shopaholics Anonymous”

• Primary Focus: Colloquial term (not an official org).
• Who It Is For: Usually refers to Spenders Anonymous or general shopping addiction support.

Who Can Join Spenders Anonymous?

Spenders Anonymous is open to anyone who wants to stop compulsive spending. There are no membership fees, and the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop spending compulsively.

You don’t need to meet a specific financial threshold or be in a certain amount of debt to attend.

What matters is the desire to stop unhealthy spending and find a healthier way forward. Anonymity is a cornerstone of the fellowship; meetings are confidential spaces where members can speak freely without fear that their struggles will be shared outside the room.

How Spenders Anonymous Works: The Tools of Recovery

Recovery in SA isn’t just about attending meetings. It involves using specific “Tools of Recovery” to change daily behavior.

While the 12 Steps provide the spiritual framework, these practical tools help members handle money on a daily basis:

• The Spending Plan: Unlike a rigid budget that feels punitive, a Spending Plan is a tool developed with a sponsor to ensure your needs are met and your values are honored without deprivation. It creates clarity rather than restriction.
• Recording: Members often commit to writing down every cent they spend. This practice of “tracking” breaks the trance of denial and brings awareness to where money is actually going.
• Bookending: This powerful tool involves calling or texting a program friend before making a difficult purchase (to check motives) and after (to stay accountable). It halts the impulsive cycle.
• Sponsorship: Newcomers are encouraged to find a sponsor—a veteran member who has achieved financial clarity—to guide them through the recovery process on a one-on-one basis.

Finding Spenders Anonymous Meetings Near Me & Online

Finding a Spenders Anonymous meeting near you or joining a virtual group is the first step toward breaking the isolation of addiction.

In the digital age, support is accessible from anywhere. Spenders Anonymous offers a robust schedule of virtual meetings (via Zoom) and phone meetings for those who prefer audio-only privacy.

Spenders Anonymous Virtual Meetings (Zoom)

These video meetings allow for a face-to-face connection from home. (Times listed are Eastern Time)

• Mondays (Newcomers Focus): 7:00 PM ET. This meeting is specifically tailored to answer questions for those new to the program.
  Meeting ID: 890 1728 2270 | Passcode: 893165
• Tuesdays: 7:00 PM ET.
  Meeting ID: 852 0765 8671 | Passcode: 849858
• Sundays: 7:00 PM ET.
  Meeting ID: 858 9134 4029 | Passcode: 456214

Zoom Safety & Etiquette for Newcomers:

• You Can Be Invisible: You are not required to turn your camera on. Many members listen in “audio only” mode.
• Protect Your Privacy: You can rename yourself on Zoom to just your First Name and Last Initial (e.g., “Sarah J.”) to maintain anonymity.
• No Pressure: You do not have to speak. It is perfectly acceptable to say, “I am just listening today.”

Spenders Anonymous Phone Meetings

Ideal for those wanting maximum anonymity or who lack a stable internet connection.

These often focus on literature study, reading from the AA Big Book, or daily meditations.

• Saturdays: 11:00 AM Central Time (Dial-in: 667-770-1406, Code: 9776304).
• Sundays (Big Book Study): 8:00 PM Central Time (Dial-in: 605-313-5526, Code: 3659103).
• Wednesdays: 3:00 PM Central Time (Dial-in: 605-562-8400, Code: 4419692).

Note: Meeting times and access codes change. Always verify the latest details on the Official SA Meeting List before joining.

The 12 Steps of Spenders Anonymous

The Twelve Steps of Spenders Anonymous are adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous to address the specific behaviors of compulsive buying.

These steps provide a spiritual and practical framework for changing one’s relationship with money. They move from admitting powerlessness over the behavior to making amends for past financial harms.

1. We admitted we were powerless over spending and money — that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral and financial inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal and financial inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive spenders and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Teletherapy & Professional Help for Shopping Addiction

While peer support is vital, many individuals benefit from combining 12-step work with professional therapy.

Compulsive spending often masks underlying issues such as depression, bipolar disorder, or past trauma. A licensed therapist can help untangle these deeper roots.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Highly effective for identifying the specific triggers that lead to a spending binge.
• Teletherapy Options: If you cannot find a support group for shopaholics near you, online therapy platforms can connect you with addiction specialists from the privacy of your home.

If you are struggling and need immediate guidance, call the free SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.

Visit our Find Treatment Help page to connect with vetted professionals.

Written by

Jessica Miller

Editorial Director

Jessica Miller is the Editorial Director of Addiction Help. Jessica graduated from the University of South Florida (USF) with an English degree and combines her writing expertise and passion for helping others to deliver reliable information to those impacted by addiction. Informed by her personal journey to recovery and support of loved ones in sobriety, Jessica's empathetic and authentic approach resonates deeply with the Addiction Help community.

Reviewed by

• Fact-Checked
• Editor

Kent S. Hoffman, D.O.

Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer

Kent S. Hoffman, D.O. has been an expert in addiction medicine for more than 15 years. In addition to managing a successful family medical practice, Dr. Hoffman is board certified in addiction medicine by the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM). Dr. Hoffman has successfully treated hundreds of patients battling addiction. Dr. Hoffman is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of AddictionHelp.com and ensures the website’s medical content and messaging quality.