PITTSBURGH -- If you feel like you're drowning in debt, you are not alone. But there is help.

Diana is a member of Debtors Anonymous. She had a serious problem.

"I'd buy bolts and bolts of fabric when I only needed a quarter of a yard," she said. "I had six bookcases at one time and still had 10 to 15 boxes of books."

Finally with her debt at $30,000 and her marriage on the rocks, Diana joined Debtors Anonymous.

There she met people with even bigger debt.

"One fellow was over $100,000 in debt and it was all from buying model trains," she said. "He collected them but didn't do anything with them. They sat in his basement."

Finally Diana cut up her credit cards and got back on track. In two years she was out of debt.

According to Caryn Bilotta of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Western PA many people can also get out of debt.

Her typical client has $17,000 in credit card debt and five to seven cards and has a job.

She said the first step to escaping debt is writing down everything you buy for one month from coffee to candy bars.

Bilotta said it can be an eye-opening experience.

She tells people they don't have to cut out buying totally.

"If you have a family where both go out to lunch every day they could be spending $300 to $400 a month going to lunches," she said. "If they would cut that in half they'd have $200 back in the budget."

Other suggestions to dig out of debt:

- Cut the credit cards up. If you don't have cash, don't buy it.

- Prioritize debt. Mortgage and rent come first.

- If possible, always pay more than the minimum monthly payment on credit cards. Even if it's only $10.

"You can take years off debt by sending extra payment," Bilotta said.

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More Info:

- US Dept. of Justice Approved Counseling Agencies

- National Foundation for Credit Counseling

- Debt Calculator

- Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Western PA

- Debtors Anonymous

HelpLine To Find Local Chapter of Debtors Anonymous: 412-255-1155