WORK

If you are a person with a work addiction, a “workaholic,” you are probably incessantly driven. Work is the one organizing and effective activity in your life: however, the relentless pursuit of work and the attainment of material gain most likely does not result in lasting pleasure.

If you work hard, spend large amounts of time on work, and feel satisfied from working hard, you are not necessarily a work addict. What does define a work addict is that work becomes an obsession and prevents you from establishing and maintaining healthy relationships and interests outside of work.

Typically a work addict is too preoccupied with work to be involved with friends and family, they severely control and restrict their social life and may even overlook health issues. The work addict may go on a vacation but will do so very reluctantly and, while on the vacation, they are preoccupied with work and are unable to relax and enjoy anything but work.

As with any other addictions there is often a lack of understanding as to how their work addiction affects themselves and others. Like other addictions, a work addiction affects the workaholic’s social life and restricts his or her personal freedom and happiness. In fact, excessive work can be a means to withdraw from relationships, to manipulate relationships by limiting one’s availability, or to regulate relationships so that not too much is expected.

No other addiction is so willingly adopted, rewarded and praised by society as the addiction to work. It can prove to be confusing issue since the work addict may appear or claim to only be looking after their family and trying to meet all their needs. Typically, society measures us by what we do, rather than by who/how we are and what we believe. Clearly some occupations are considered in a different class than others. Sadly all this can lead us to believe that the predetermining factor to our sense of self worth is measured by what we do.