To make the state of consumer debt worse, it is almost impossible to live in our current society without a credit card. The pressure to get at least a single card is immense and starts as soon as people turn 18. It is far to easy to get in over your head with credit, and there is very little education about how to avoid massive debt. Is the assumption that everyone learns by doing? That seems to be the case, which is a formula for out of control debt.