For years I've been telling my readers that there are two kinds of debt: safe debt and toxic debt.

Safe debt is secured debt; it has collateral connected to it. Your home mortgage is a safe debt. You had to qualify for it, so at least one person decided that you can afford it. And if you can't afford it or you change your mind and want out of the debt, you can get out of it.

You can sell the collateral, or just hand it over to the lender and call it even. Safe debt gives you a way out. It's the equivalent of a safety valve, so you don't ruin your life.

Toxic debt, on the other hand, is stupid debt you get on your signature without qualifying, without a wise professional considering whether or not you can afford it. It's debt you develop because of an impulse. It's the debt you create over time by swiping your credit card and then turning around and only making the minimum monthly payment. It's the terrible reality of spending sprees and frivolous decisions. Toxic debt is the result of stupid thinking and stupid actions. It's just plain stupid!

Now we learn there is a third kind of debt. It's not safe, and it's more than stupid. It's downright scary. It's called survival debt. It's the result of paying for groceries with credit and allowing that balance to roll from month to month, gathering large amounts of high-rate interest.

Survival debt is the result of putting your rent on a credit card because the bonus didn't come through or the rent money went to repair your car or pay the utility bill or buy clothes and diapers for the kids.

Safe debt is manageable. Toxic debt is reversible because you can stop making stupid choices. But survival debt? Once you start paying for day-to-day expenses with credit because you don't have the cash, you've crossed a serious threshold. You're caught in a vicious cycle.

You may believe you have no other choice but to keep adding to the gathering debt. But that's not true. You do have a choice. But you may need a major intervention to stop the out-of-control, downward spiral.

If you are trying to manage survival debt, wise up. You will not be able to carry on like that for long. You are trying to outrun an avalanche, and you cannot run fast enough. Soon it will bury you.

My best advice is to immediately get in touch with consumer credit counseling services. Call 1-800 388-2227 to be connected to the office closest to you. Or visit the National Foundation for Credit Counseling website to learn more about credit counseling and be assured you are dealing with a reputable and reliable organization (there are lots of look-alike credit counselors out there that are not legitimate).

Mary invites questions, comments and tips at [email protected], or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.