Overview
- The 37°Leben episode, now in the ZDF Mediathek, is set to air Sunday, May 10, at 9:03 a.m. on ZDF.
- Sinem, 26, describes a spiral that began in 2022 and grew to about €40,000 in debt through buy‑now‑pay‑later offers and loans, with roughly €14,000 repaid by the time of filming.
- Zişan, 35, tried a 30‑day stop to shopping and reported sweating, heart palpitations, and pain by day four, and she is now in behavioral therapy.
- Psychologist Helga Odendahl calls buying addiction an impulse‑control disorder and compares its symptoms during abstinence to a cold withdrawal.
- Reports cite studies suggesting about 5% of Germans are at high risk, as easy online checkout and deferred payment remove friction and can speed loss of control.