Sneaker addiction is no joke. You've probably tried to quit at least once before—most of us have. If you're reading this, chances are you've still got it in you.
What has your sneaker habit driven you to do? Are you really in control? Whatever it was, something drove you to ditch the sneakers (or at least try). If you're just starting out, you might experience withdrawal pains and anxiety considering all the good stuff that's been dropping. Or, maybe you haven't even realized you have a problem. Maybe you've tried to quit more than once before and this time, you really think you can do it.
Don't worry, you are not alone. We've all been there, we know what it's like. Here is The Cycle of Sneaker Addiction in GIFs
Indulgence
Between posting heavily filtered sneaker pics on Instagram and refreshing your favourite blogs every two minutes, you don't have much time for anything else. Your checking account has gone into overdraft again but you got them J's though. Too bad those Instagram likes aren't dollars.
Intervention
You come home to find your family and friends looking at you with grave faces. Maybe they've had enough of your Twitter rants about yet another missed release, maybe you got knocked out after picking another fight with a stranger for stepping on your shoes, or maybe the collection agencies started calling them too. "Seriously," they say. "You need help."
Denial
Initially, you deny it. "Nah, non-sneakerheads will never understand." You fight them and turn to NT and your #igsneakercommunity for comfort.
Realization
You just unknowingly bought something you already had—again. Your phone bill is due and you've got a little too much month left at the end of your money. Those negatives in your bank statements are starting to feel real.
Acceptance
You accept that maybe you could stand to tone it down a little. You need to get serious about other important things. Maybe you'll save up for a new whip or even a house. How much longer until mom kicks you out?
Withdrawal
You feel anxious. You feel behind. You're irritable, you can't sleep, you can't concentrate and you're depressed. Maybe you experience cold sweats and heart palpitations. You've got the shakes. You scream, "Can I live?"
Abstinence
After a while, you gain momentum and abstain from the game for a bit. You unfollow a bunch of Instagram/Twitter sneaker accounts, you stop posting KOTD pics and even start repeating sneakers on consecutive days—nobody knows because you didn't post it. Look at you.
Triggers
Time passes. Days, weeks, months—it's different for all of us. But then you get an eBay alert that somebody listed your grails in your size. You feel overwhelmed.
Temptation
You're tempted. You saved a lot of cash during your hiatus. You convince yourself you deserve it—you've practiced enough self control. Just this once and then you'll go right back.
Relapse
You swipe the shoes with a winning last-second bid. But, instead of logging out of eBay your curiosity gets the best of you and you keep searching. You check all of your favourite sites and play catch up on everything you missed. You grumble at having to pay more than retail and head over to Twitter to rant about it.
Admitting Defeat
Oh well. They say admitting it is the first step to happiness, right? Well, you admit that you are a sneaker addict and guess what? You're happy. It's okay to fall off the wagon. As long as your life is not suffering for it, then don't worry too much about what people think of your habit. The endorphins you release from picking up a new pair count for something, no?
