Doll Addiction: When does it become a problem?

I'm not addicted, but it can be addictive. I'm selling some of the dolls I never "bonded" with so that I can buy more dolls. Sometimes I get conflicted about whether I should save my money to pay rent or buy another doll. Not really a good situation to be in, but somehow things work out.

 

I can see how this could become a problem, not for myself as I don't have an addictive personality and am very self-controlled, but certainly for some people. On the other hand, I did think I was going to stop at one doll, and now have a few more on order. But I can stop any time I want, honest, LOL!

 

I think once you can't pay bills or you're late on rent or something because your rent money was spent on a doll, that's when you need to chill....but as long as it's not unhealthy on you or your wallet it's probably not an addiction!

 

I think it will be a problem once you start prioritizing your dolls before your needs.

 

I have had to rob Peter to Pay Paul sometimes. But I draw the line at taking money from household needs

 

I have to be careful because i have a very addictive personality. I used to be addicted to drugs and alcohol as well asshopping. There have been months I didn't pay bills so I could spend more on dolls. Luckily though I live with my parents so they have helped me out those times I spend all my money on dolls and accessories.

 

I don't think it needs to eat up all your money to be an addiction and a problem... it is when you think about it all the time and when it affects all aspects of your life.
Personally I spend a fair amount of time lately looking at doll-related stuff and I become a bit "obsessed" about some dolls that I find really beautiful, but I think a big part of this is being new and wanting to be informed, and I already notice I don't spend half of the time I spent the first few days, it just settles down and becomes one more hobby... so as any hobby I think about it from time to time. It should be kept that way.

 

I would say that the hobby crosses a line if you start going into debt or use it to fulfill another need. For me, part of the hobby is beingsocial with my other doll friends and being able to "shell" a character. I see and admire a lot of dolls, but unless I have a character for them, I really am not interested. I am also fairly choosy about who I bring home. Even if I really like a character, I may not shell them for financial reasons or just that no one doll fits.

 

Addiction is never a good thing, but if you're going to be addicted to something, there are far worse things to be addicted to than bjd's IMO

 

Got into some manic outfit shopping for a year or two. Eventually slows down because the storage got crowded.

It is good to have some sort of control on impulsive buying. But things always happen too fast before you realise it, since the dolly world is constantly filled with the magic word "LIMITED EDITION"

 

As a newbie to this hobby, this thread was an important read. I could easily see myself wanting to shell out more money on new dolls after the doll I ordered arrives. I need to bring my head back to planet earth and think about my main priorities in life. Addictions are debilitating and I need to make sure I don't do anything foolish.

 

I second that as a newbie too. I just counted my dolls. I have 16 now and most are just in the box waiting to be finished. >< I just started this hobby maybe 2 years ago. I haven't racked up any serious debt yet, thankfully. But yes, limited edition makes me want to spend. I hate missing limited dolls. Maybe this is getting addicting...

 

I go through phases during which a specific genre of thing fascinates me. I go all magpie on the world and buy many iterations of the thing - not just for myself, but for family members. The thing is so overwhelmingly awesome that I can't imagine anybody not wanting one (or more). For a while it was sarees. I have got a stupid number of sarees. And then I gave every woman in my family a saree, because how could they not want something so beautiful? Then it was BJDs. I think I am maxed out at seven (but if they were only as expensive as sarees, I'm sure I'd have more), so I started buying them for a niece, because how could she not want dolls?

I don't know if this is addiction, or a not-so-great coping mechanism, or an expression of my ADD, or a combination of the three.

 

I've had this problem twice - once in the Spring/Summer of 2011 (I bought over 20 dolls in 6 months) and once in Spring/Summer of 2013 (bought over 10 during four months). Although I'm an impulse buyer in general, BJDs are the only thing that I've felt guilty about buying. For the first time I felt addicted, the problem resolved itself when I started a new job and became too busy to buy dolls. After not buying dolls for many months, I no longer had any desire to buy more, and even listed some for sale. The second time I felt addicted, I quit buying dolls once I got a kitten. I didn't get a kitten to get over the doll addiction, but that was a nice side-effect. With a cat around, it's harder to display my dolls, and I had to put 10 SDs and all extra items in a storage closet to protect them from my new feline friend, who mistook them for scratching posts.

Also, I'd like to state that I don't believe everyone who buys a lot of dolls is a doll addict. Here are the reasons why I'd consider myself to have had problems with doll addiction:
1) I felt guilty every time I bought a doll.
2) I liked the idea of the dolls better than the dolls themselves. For instance, when Luts released preview pics of some LE dolls last summer, I'd eagerly check their site to see if any new pics were up. However, once I got some of the dolls from that event, I cared so little about them that I felt like it was a hassle to even dress them, and I haven't even taken pictures of three of them. They're attractive dolls, but I just dressed them, stuck them in a cabinet, and haven't touched them since. To me, that is not worth the $1000+ I spent on them. I did learn from my mistake and managed not to buy the next LE Luts doll I thought I wanted. Once everyone began to post box openings, I felt so much relief that I hadn't bought the doll!
3) I can link the time during which I bought lots of dolls to my loss of two close friends. I think buying the dolls was a way to distract myself from the sadness I felt. This is common for many addictions.
4) I felt little to no excitement when I got shipping notices.
5) I felt like buying dolls was something I needed to do. As in, "Oh, no! This doll is limited...I must buy it now or I may never have another chance!" I know how melodramatic that sounds, but I felt stress if I didn't buy a LE I liked. But as soon as I paid for the doll, guilt set in. Yet, even though I knew my behavior was unhealthy, I'd repeat it for the next LE I wanted.
6) If I could go back in time and avoid ever learning about BJDs, I'd do it without hesitation.

I think if someone believes he/she may have a doll addiction, it might help to stop reading about new LE dolls being released and stop browsing the MP. I know that wouldn't work for everyone, but it's helped me. I still like browsing forums occasionally, but I stay away from certain sub-forums (mainly the "news" section) to avoid temptation. I don't plan to stop buying dolls forever, but I hope to never go on a doll buying spree again!

 

I can easily see how that could happen, but having very little money, and wanting little to no record of debt is how I convince myself.

 

I almost posted something similar a few hours ago, but wasn't sure if I was making sense. So far I haven't gone overboard on actual buying, but I definitely stress out about missing limited dolls or dolls that are outside of the price limits I've set for myself. It gets to the point where I'm not even having fun. When I start agonizing over dolls, I know I need to back off a little and do something not doll-related for a while. Or at least spend some time enjoying/crafting for the dolls I do have.

I agree. I don't even have MP access yet, but sometimes I avoid eBay so I don't see what's for sale. I can't want it if I don't know it's there!

 

Its really nice to see so many people sharing their experiences and memories, even though many of them are of difficult times. I appreciate reading these stories as a newbie because I know I need to make sure I limit myself in how much I spend. I've had problems before with shopping addiction, though its never gotten in the way of my bills or rent. However I just ordered my first 2 dolls a month and a half ago. Then I saw that DC was discontinuing a lot of their dolls and I just simply HAD to have one of the sculpts. So I put them on layaway, but I had to make the first payment with my credit card. I know that I wont have to make any further payments with my credit card but I can really understand how making dolls limited edition or discontinuing dolls can create almost a NEED to buy them before they're gone, even though we may not necessarily have the money for them.

 

I think when you have so many dolls you can't even manage to give them individual attention without it taking up all of your time and money then it's a problem as well.
Addiction lies in a matter of excess and in my own opinion having 30+ dolls is excessive for one person.
I guess I'm just a person that enjoys many different hobbies and I dont think I could really devote myself to just one....

and when it comes between buying a doll or having a place to live, I think my obvious choice would be to keep the roof over my head. Ive known some people to open multiple credit cards just to get the dolls they want and then they never pay them off... and that's another sign you have a huge problem.

 

For me, it is all about perspective. I will always see dolls I love but I try never to impulse buy (did once and is my favourite doll - so was ok!) and I always have a grail doll to aspire to, to stop me buying the next lovely doll that comes along. I know from previous collecting experience that if I buy too much too quickly then I feel overwhelmed with guilt about spending money which should really be put into the family pot for holidays and home improvements and also I don't see the wood for the trees as I am not appreciating them individually. The pure nature of bjd's for me personally is their sheer versatility. I love the fact that I can change the eyes, wig and clothes and it is like getting a new doll all over again. As I live in a small house and don't like clutter I would rather spend my money on clothes and wigs for what I have. I interact with my dolls daily, changing their pose and situ. I have amassed three in the last year since I started collecting and have one on pre-order. I aim to only buy 1-2 dolls a year and will never duplicate a sculpt. I like to have something to save for and would rather have four dolls i treasured than upwards of ten that I liked. I think providing the spending and collecting doesn't impede on your lifestyle or become obsessive (ie - need to buy a doll for your life to be better) then there is no problem. I would also not have a problem in selling one to raise funds for a grail doll if required.

 

Accounting the dolls I have right now -and even though almost half are just heads- I'm four dolls over the thirty mark, I've been in the hobby for four years so that amounts at about one doll or head per 1.5 months. On top of that I have several other expensive hobbies such as reading literature and playing video games, I'm by no means rich and I'm also attending the University of Fine Arts that is rather expensive in and on its own. I worked saving for all my dolls and several of them were gifts that came as event dolls/heads with the other ones and I've never used a credit card (as a matter of fact I -never- want to own one period) either. Everyone can make enough for the hobbies they love if they put their hearts to it and work hard. I don't believe there's a limit of dolls that when you pass you're addicted and I certainly don't consider myself to be an addict with the negative connotation.

Dolls become an addiction when you feel bad when you're not buying a doll/have a doll on layaway. They become an addiction when you stop eating or paying your bills to afford new dolls and when you put yourself in deep debt for them. They become an addiction when your life, and the life of those around you becomes more difficult because of your hobby.

That being said, I do plan to slow down a bit because I need to save up for a graphic tablet upgrade that I need for my work and uni. I'm hoping to limit myself to one doll + one off topic doll on the coming year/ after everything I have on order right now gets payed off and then work on getting the floaters their bodies and some other small things.