Often people who are deep in debt, are more afraid to confront the reality of their situation than anything else. That fear can lead people to do things they never thought they would do: to stop opening their mail, to stop answering the phone for fear of dealing with bill collectors, or even to lie to their family and friends.

It is important to understand that you are not alone. You are not the first person to go through a crisis and there are resources out there to help you.

To read about how even an economic reporter fell into the trap of overusing credit check out this New York Times article: http://tinyurl.com/qukwpb.