<prompt> Human: Weve been through the Dave Ramsey course and SO intellectually understands the principals of budgeting and debt reduction but, like an addict, falls off the wagon and the shamespending spiral quickly erases all forward progress. What kind of program or therapy is effective in really turning around someone like this?  <response>: If its an addiction, then its a mental health issue. Find a licensed counselor or other mental health professional. It sounds like your SO recognizes that there is a problem, so hopefully he or she will be open to getting help. 