Part of the problem is that being in debt is a very, very minor problem until it is too major to easily get out. If you spend about ten thousand more than you make a year, your monthly minimums will not be budget busting. Then you continue that for a few years, hubby gets downsized or you get sick, and all of a sudden you're $80k in debt and just servicing the payments and rent eats all your income.

This is generally the point where the bank or the health insurance industry gets blamed for your predicament, sadly.

On the plus side, I know of some people who clawed their way out of six figure consumer credit holes. It takes strong will, for years.