I Have Kleptomania
I am a grown woman 38 years old. When I was 16 and 17, a friend introduced me to shoplifting. We did it for over a year, stealing stuff like makeup, clothing, and basically anything we wanted that would fit in our purses or our pockets. It was very addicting to me. I was a bagger for the commissary at the time, so I made pretty good tips, I almost always had at least $40 cash in my pocket at all times. But I wasn't stealing because I couldn't afford the items. It just became "fun" because it was FREE. Eventually I told another friend what we did and she started to do it too. She was pretty careless, she'd tear price tags off the merchadise she stole and left them in the dressing room. This is how we got caught. Well, SHE got caught by the store detective, who in turn searched ME too since we came in and left together. I had never been so embarassed and ashame in all my life. The military police came and called our parents. Since my dad was retired Army, it was quite embarassing for him to be called in.My ID card was revoked for 6 months, and I was not allowed on base at all. My dad was shocked and very disappointed in me. I lost my job as a bagger and regretted the fact that I ruined my chance to earn an income by blowing it all on nonsense items which I could have paid for. My mother, who raised me as a devoted Christian blamed herself and wondered where she failed me as a mother. My parents were going through a separation at the time and my mom still blames that incident on both her and my dad, for not paying attention to me and for always arguing and all that. Up until now, I really dont know if that is what drove me to steal. Recently, I began doing it again and it is tearing me up inside because I know I have a teen son now and I shoulnd't be doing this. I blame it on financial stress but then again, I am not too sure. Sometimes I have the URGE to steal something...anything I can from a store, no matter how small it is. I need help but I dont know who to talk to.
