America's addiction to consumerism

I came across a link to an interesting article while on a friend's Facebook page just a little while ago. It reminded me of a book I read this past year that another friend of mine recommended ("Not Buying It" by Judith Levine), however, this article delves into deeper issues behind the problem: http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/82013/?page=entire

As a substance abuse therapist, I absolutely agree with the points raised in this article. I wonder though if U.S. consumerism trends will decrease or is it a mere pipe dream for ideal happiness? As suggested in the article, perhaps all we can do is seek 'recovery' mode? But only if we want to....