how this woman got $280,000 in credit card debt from her astonishing addiction to shopping. shock therapy. we're with her as she tries to recover. but what will happen when she has to go to her favorite shop and come out without buying anything for the first time ever? plus, reasons to be cheerful. chicago is crushed in its olympic bid. but perhaps it was all for the best. why lessing the olympics might be the new winning. >> announcer: from the global resource of abc news with terry moran in washington, martin bashir and cynthia mcfadden in new york city this is "nightline," october 2nd, 2009. >> good evening, everyone, i'm terry moron. tonight, a look at our tenth commandme commandment. part of the series on the commandments. the tenth commandment says we are not to covet what we don't have.

specifically, our neighbor's possessions. some people argue that american culture today is set up precisely for us to covet all sorts of things. the kind of coveting that leads many of us to spend enormous amounts of money we don't have on things we don't necessarily need. for some people, that's a very personal and acute issue, an unhealthy addiction. kate snow followed one woman over the course of several months as she set out to break that addiction's grip. our series now "the ten commandments." >> rock star coat. now, you -- you know this is the bomb. oh, my goodness. >> reporter: this is ginger logan cannon's heaven. >> ooh-wee. it's gorgeous. >> reporter: and her hell. >> what? i already paid for this. i just hadn't picked it up. ooh, i love the red. >> reporter: she's a self-proclaimed shopping addict. >> i already have this

collection. >> reporter: let loose in her favorite store. >> i love this jacket and the pants. you can party luke a rock star. if you don't wear the jacket, you wear this. >> reporter: her psychiatrist, that's him over there, he's told her she's not allowed to buy anything. it's like taking an alcoholic to a bar. >> i think i'm getting sick. >> reporter: a key moment in her therapy. see, ginger has made a habit of breaking the tenth commandment. >> but you really should have a real leopard coat. they're called the ginger pop. had to have those. >> reporter: she covets not just what her neighbors have, but even what they don't have. >> they're great. >> reporter: what's on display at the mall, clothing, shoes, objects, often priced way beyond her means. >> the jacket was like $1800. >> reporter: her husband built her a new set of cloflts in the garage. >> these closets out here hold summer wear. >> reporter: this is a personal question. >> yes. >> reporter: how much debt are

you in right now? >> oh, $290,000. >> reporter: $280,000? is that a shocking number to you? >> very much. >> reporter: that's a lot of money for a woman who spent 30 years as a parole officer making $100,000 a year. she has filed for bankruptcy twice. >> if i look at all the money, the thousands of dollars i've spent over the years, to where i am now, i think what i could have done with that money. that's kind of sad to me. >> reporter: but beyond the sadness over her finances, there's something much deeper. which is why after years of failed attempts to stop, ginger agreed to let us introduce her to dr. charles sophie, a therapist who specializes in breaking addictions. people laugh abouthopoholics. >> right. >> reporter: people think it's a joke. even her friends are saying, you don't have a problem. it's not a real addiction. >> so what's the big deal? you buy a dress or two? but the issue is the impact and meanting it has globally in your life. >> bev areally hills. what a great place to have an

office. >> reporter: our cameras followed ginger through four months of therapy. >> were you scared driving up here today? >> absolutely. i mean -- >> reporter: the nervous laugh eventually given way to tears. >> here's your tissue. >> i hate to cry. >> why? >> one, it messes up your makeup and you look horrible. >> reporter: a few things become clear right away. she's not happy in her job. her marriage is struggling. her shopping addiction, it's not really about shopping at all. >> it's one of the few times you may feel. and that's not a good thing. >> reporter: for ginger, dr. sophie says shopping triggers a pleasurable chemical rush in the brain, just like any drug. >> wow. it's me and -- >> you're floating. >> floating. >> reporter: but like a bing nl eater, after ginger covets and spends more than she has, she feels remorse. >> i start driving home. >> yeah, you're high and then you're down. >> and then you start to feel like, was that really necessary?

at you jusdid? >> reporter: what dr. sophie wants to do is break that cycle. but to do that, he has to dig deeper into her past. appreciating fine clothing certainly runs in ginger's family. her father was an impeccably dressed lady's man. >> my dad would take his credit card out. then he'd sit down with a news, go. for about two hours, i would just be -- >> and that's where it started to -- >> reporter: ginger confesses her father was also an alcoholic, an addictive personality that may be genetic. >> i was a typical little girl that just worshiped her dad. >> reporter: another secret emerges. ginger was the victim a rationally motivated attack in the 1960s. >> he just beat my face to a pulp. family never spoke of the r beating. dr. sophie says her tendency to disconnect from emotion is a big part of the reason ginger shops. >> it's your band-aid. you're going to have to find other more appropriate, less

expensive band-aids. like talking about how you feel and dealing with yourself on a day-to-day basis. >> look at that. that's so me. >> reporter: one of the most difficult pressures it turns out, ginger's personal shoppers and friends who shop with her. she compares them to drinking buddies. >> that's my girl. >> that's like somebody bringing you cocaine and you just take it. >> absolutely, the crack addiction. i walked away from a suit that was about $1,300. >> congratulations. >> i want to go back and get it. >> you're almost getting sober. >> reporter: and now it's time to face her addiction head on. >> this is home for me. >> reporter: an outing to the tony st. john shop, her favorite store, where a woman's suit can go for $2,000. >> we're going to shop. we're going to go in there. we're going to meet these people. you're going to show me what excites you. >> the whole store. >> and then we're going to try stuff on. we'll pick out like three of your top favorites.

and then we're going to leave empty-handed. >> how are you? >> looking good. >> reporter: maxine is ginger's personal shopper. ginger has never been in this store without purchasing something. >> oh, my goodness. >> what do you love about it? >> the way it feels. the way it fits. sometimes they may not talk to you, but they'll talk to your clothing. >> let's translate that. it gives you self-esteem. this is an addiction. because it gives you that exciteme excitement. that heart pounding. >> ooh this is like ready, set go. >> wait. how do you feel? >> i feel really great. i'm smiling from ear to ear. >> do you think you'll be smile weathering we leave? >> no, somehow i have this i'm dying feeling, ready to drop -- just boom. i'm feeling great. oh. >> ginger? >> yeah. >> you still excited in there? >> yes, i am. >> what's our goal though? >> healing and -- whoa!

>> what's our goal today? >> this is killing me. if you never shopped, you'd run around in last season's clothes. >> what's the other way to think about that? >> that i'm going to control when i shop and how i shop. going to my sorority board meeting with this on would be perfect. i'm not going to do that. i'll wear something in the closet i already have that's red and white. >> you think about it? >> i think i have a whole red section. >> at home and don't need this. >> you don't want to wear the same thing. dr. sophie, i mean, this is so me. >> take them out to maxine. say, thank you but no thank you. >> oh, god. in front of everybody? oh, jesus. hi, maxine. i'm going to leave all this here with you. and i'm going to leave that too. i'm going to leave everything here. i'm not going to shop today.

>> okay. >> and -- give me a hu >> okay. >> i'm going to be fine. i'm going to -- oh, my god. jesus. >> reporte leaving that store empty-handed is the break-through ginger needed. >> ah. when i got in my car and started it up and there were no bags with me, and i was sitting there thinking, i actually did that. that was kind of empowering. >> reporter: this is rodeo drive. >> yes. >> reporter: beverly hills. is it hard for you to walk by all this and not go inside? >> absolutely. you know, for me, walking by and looking at something like that and not going, it's like a punishment. >> reporter: i'm sore. >> but it's a growing thing. we went through this last week. it's not as hard today. >> reporter: when we last saw ginger, she was in a better place. >> look at these. they've never been worn. >> reporter: purging her cloflts. giving clothing to charity.

>> you know, it's like i'm in a fork in the road. i almost feel like i'm two people. the old ginger and the new ginger. it becomes a battle of your own personality. >> reporter: she estimates she's avoided spending $10,000 on clothing. she says she's not healed yet, but she's anxious to get there. can you imagine a day when you walk down rodeo drive and don't even look at the stores? can you imagine that? >> i'll always look, but i don't think it will mean as much to me. >> reporter: this is kate snow for "nightline" in los angeles. >> and good luck to ginger, as she battles that addiction and tries to change her life. our thanks to kate snow for the story. when we come back, oh, the international olympic committee took the wind out of chicago's olympic sales today. but john berman suggests, could be all for the best. boss: so word's gettin' out that geico can help people save in even more ways - on motorcycle insurance, rv, camper, boat insurance. nice wrk, everyone.

exec: well, it's easy for him. he's a cute little lizard. gecko: ah, gecko, #actually - exec: with all due respect, if i was tiny and green and had a british accent i'd have more folks paying attention to me too... i mean - (faux english accent) "save money! pip pip cheerio!" exec 2: british? i thought you were australian. gecko: well, it's funny you "should ask. 'causeactually, i'm from - anncr: geico. fifteen minutes coul save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. like my life is .split in two. there'the ife i live. and the life i want to live. fortunately, there's enbrel. enbrel can help relieve .pain, stiffness, fatigue, and stop joint damage. because enbrel suppresses .your immune system, it may lower your ability .to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, .events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma and nervous system and blood disorders " have occurred. before starting enbrel, yor doctor should test you for tuberculosis. also ask your doctor if .you live in an area with a greater risk for certain fungal infections. don't start enbrel if you have an infection, like the flu.

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the choice in this election for governor is really pretty simple: do we move virginia forward by continuing the pro-business economic policies that i helped put in place... or do we go bawards with the failed economic approach that ruined our economy? creigh deeds knows keeping taxes low and controlling spending is the right way to keep virginia the best place to do business. and i agree. because rebuilding confidence in our economy starts with responsible leadership from a new governor like creigh deeds.

for many chicagoans and for those of us born in the city of big shoulder. it began with great anticipation. president obama and the first lady traveled to copenhagen to make their pitch for the 2016 olympics to the international olympic committee, trying to bring the games home. to their hometown, chicago. but there was no fairy tale end. and now comes john berman, trying to show that maybe it isn't so bad that the second city came in fourth. >> the city of chicago, having obtained the least number of votes, will not participate in the next round. >> reporter: it knocked the wind out of the windy city. >> are you kidding me. >> reporter: and kicked the president right in the pants. >> you can play a great game and still not win. >> reporter: honestly, the u.s. didn't just not win, we came in fourth out of four and there's no medal for fourth place. but for the victor. >> rio de janeiro. >> reporter: a reason to party.

not that rio needs a reason to party. ♪ yes, it's safe to say this is not how chicago planned it. >> we was robbed. that's what happened. >> reporter: robbed of the promise of their $50 million bid. >> oh, well. >> it's very sad. very sad. >> reporter: robbed of the chance to host the world in the obama family's backyard. >> i was born and raised on chicago's south side. not far from where the games would open and close. >> reporter: ieed, this came after a high-stakes last-minute mission from team obama to copenhagen to secure the games. both the first lady and the president lobbied the international olympic committee. >> i urge you to choose chicago. i urge you to choose america. and if you do, if we walk this path together, then i promise you this, the city of chicago and the united states of america will make the world proud. >> reporter: they even dropped the other "o" bomb, oprah

winfrey. but what a difference a few hours makes. president obama was still in the air when the midway turned maudlin. >> speechless. it's unbelievable. i cannot believe that chicago lost in the first round. >> reporter: the u.s. fell out before tokyo, before madrid. the president tried to take it in stride. >> although i wish that we had come back with better news from copenhagen, i could not be prouder of my hometown of chicago. >> reporter: translation, son of a [ muted ]. but a few miles south, it was a different story. rio was bursting at the seams. >> rio was selling a dream. and if you're an ioc member, you look at that and you say, that's pretty cool. >> reporter: brazil will be the first south american country ever to host the olympic games. the oddsmakers say the money rushed towards rio the last 24 hours. >> rio shows the map of the

world. and they show that there have been 30 olympics winter and summer in europe and 12 in north america. and then they go to south america, zero. >> reporter: about the only place you could find more unbridled glee than brazil was with rush limbaugh. >> our president, barack hussein obama, mm, mm, mm, had been running around the world for nine months, telling everybody how much our country sucks. why would anybody award the olympics to such a crappy place? >> reporter: there is, of course, another way to look at this. maybe despite the tears, maybe, just maybe, chicago is better off. just ask montreal. that city just finished paying off debt from the 1976 games. ask athens. the greece budgeted $1.6 billion before the 2004 games and ended up spending $16 billion. london hasn't even had the 2012 games yet, but they've already

blown their budget plans. a number of chicago websites had argued against hosting the games, saying the traffic, the crime, the burdens on the city, were big enough already, thank you very much. in a recent poll by "the chicago tribune," 45% of chicagoans opposed the idea of hosting the games. compared to just 47% in favor. maybe the fans who scream for the bears can live without bad mitten. maybe they're safer with the cubs than synchronized swimming. maybe kielbasa doesn't go well with rhythmic gymnastics. maybe instead of the shores of lake michigan, they'll play beach volleyball on the copacabana. maybe we'll all find a way to live with that suffering. i'm john berman for "nightline" in new york. >> well, i'm not buying it. congratulation to rio, but chicago would have put on a great game. thanks to john for that anyway. and you may not know david gray by name, but you probably

recognize his hit single "babylon." he'll tell us all about his greatest musical influences in tonight's "playlist." for what m. introducing blueprint. blueprint is free and only for chase customers. it lets you choose what rchases you want to pay in full to avoid interest...with full pay. and those you split... you decide how to pay over time. if having a plan matters. chase what matters. create your own blueprint at chase.com/blueprint.

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>> announcer: "nightline" continues from washington with terry moran. >> where does a singer/song writer who has sold millions of records around the world draw his inspiration? david gray's just released album "draw the line" may have answer. "nightline" certainly does in tonight's "playlist." ♪ jealousy ♪ that bitterness ♪ that ridicul ♪ and if you want it ♪ come and get it >> i remember when "babylon" was really happening. i was flying all over the place. i was never in one place for more than a few seconds. i remember getting into a cab in london. i'd just flown in. and then it was like a beautiful sun, evening, and that came on. it was something magic going on. you know, it was all starting to go my way. ♪

cat stevens. my first musical memories smudged together with sort of the smell of cigarette and cigar smoke and the sort of post-party, sort of alcohol in the carpet sort of smell. goi going back to the 1970s now. leather sofa. living in manchester. mom and dad. i just remember hearing cat stevens. ♪ we would just play -- we used to play covers. everything from the cramps to the who. to the cure. forest was probably my favorite one to do. i don't think we nailed anything to be perfectly honest. put nails in their coffins perhaps. it was just -- it's the most fun in the world, having a band, making a loud noise, and just upsetting people in general. ♪ the answer my friend is blowing in the wind ♪ i sort of discovered bob dylan for the first time "blowing in

the wind," which stopped me in my tracks. i was -- he's my biggest influence by a mile. my dad had it in the car. we were on a long journey. bob dylan on the one side of it and pavarotti on the other. he's had a greater effect. it could have been to do with pavarotti. ♪ quiet nights of quiet storms >> some frank sinatra stuff. after my dad died, it changed me. my dad was such such a sinatra fan. what i love about "quiet nights, quiet storms" he sounds much more human, less of a showman. it's like san nat tra the man sort of exposes himself a bit. in the sing, his voice cracks a little bit. it's not so perfect. your perspective changes on things. you hear things in music you suddenly recognize them for what

they are for the first time. the ghosts within the music come slightly more present to you when you're that opened up and sort of, sensitive to it. ♪ sweet dreams are made of these ♪ ♪ who am i to disagree >> i think a lot of music from the '80s sounds a bit crap, you know in retrospect? but the eurythmics stuff stands up really well. "sweet dreams" is a fantastic pop song. there's a kind of angst. kind of -- some of them want to use you, some of them want to abuse you. it's quite sort of to the bone, you know, and yet it's this popular song. it's brilliant. absolutely brilliant. ♪ take a look at third quarter sales.

going to burgertown, want anything? if they still have "the can my butt look any bigger meal,"

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