I recently got signed off work for a month for depression and work related stress but I am one week back and find myself very much like I am having a relapse of my work! How those “Maybe just one …” thoughts always lead to way more than just one! I have always taken my work very seriously and take pride in being good at what I do BUT I am now quite aware of how it interferes with family life much like any other addiction.
To the best of my knowledge, work or career success is not recognised as an official behavioural addiction (?) but, of course, the term “workaholic” is a common phrase.
Do you think you can be addicted to your job/workplace or is this maybe a positive aspect of my “addictive personality”? I suspect that, left alone, it will lead to success and I’m thinking I would describe this more as obsessive rather than addiction but wanted to get some other thoughts on this!
Anybody else had or have a similar mindset? Is it a good or a bad thing?? I’m cautiously optimistic it isn’t an issue and that a balance between work and family can be struck but … I also thought that way about alcohol!
This is just my opinion and I could be way off… but I do believe a person could be addicted to work success. I actually know of someone who I feel falls into this category (not that I’m a Dr or anything lol). Of course there’s the workaholic who works and works maybe for an escape (this particular lady falls into that category too). I just think overall that anything wether “good” or “bad” can be a negative thing if it begins to effect a person’s life in a negative way. Exercise is great for example but TOO much of it can be harmful (this was an issue for me). There’s absolutely nothing wrong with work success. Most people I feel generally strives to be great at what they do. But if it begins to cause problems than I think things may need to be addressed. From what I understand, obsession is an idea or thought that continually preoccupies a person’s mind. While addiction is not having control over something to the point where it could be harmful. So I feel like the difference btwn the two has to do with control. So referring to my coworker that I know, she strives so hard to be good at what she does (which she is) but it literally is causing problems in her life bcuz she can’t stop. It overtakes other areas of her life and her health is dwindling bcuz of this urge to succeed. So ya I think a person can be addicted. Like almost anything in this world, we as addicts/alcoholics etc that have addictive personalities, can almost be addicted to anything I think
I think there are many qualities that a “workaholic” and addict share. There’s nothing wrong with working to achieve your version of success, but when it negatively affects yourself and/or others, then it may become a problem.
I’m thinking of the classic 80s/90s movies where Dad promises the kid that he’ll be there for the school play or baseball game but Dad loses track of time trying to close that sale… now the kid is disappointed and loses faith in Dad. Unlike the movies, rarely does Dad come through and save the day in Act 3.
I do think there’s a difference between a workaholic and someone who can’t sit still. My uncle can’t sit still, he has to be working on something. If its not his career job, it’s building an ad-on to his house.
My Dad is the same. He retired 2 years ago bit took another job, he can’t sit still. But neither are addicted to work, as in, they aren’t getting that dopamine hit like a Wallstreet broker might after making a sale.
So yeah, idk, I guess it depends on the underlying behavior and motives.
Yeah for sure, in Japan there is a word, “karoushi,” which means to work yourself to death. For many people here, it is considered socially acceptable to put work before family. The job and earning a living comes first. That attitude contributes to work environments in some industries where being a workaholic is required to achieve any kind of success.
The line between being a hard worker and a workaholic is drawn in different places depending on the culture of where we live. I think it also depends on the effect it has on the physical and mental health of an individual. Does working 16 hours a day make you feel satisfied afterwards? Or does it just about kill you?
There is always an optimal balance but we have to figure out what that is individually, same as in a lot of other circumstances.
Speaking for myself, I have absolutely gone through many phases of work addiction. It’s still a constant struggle, because it’s a necessary thing to some degree.
But it has also completely interfered with leading a healthy life outside of work when the balance isn’t right. My not dealing with it was a contributing factor in my drinking problems.
In both cases I often indulged for the false illusion of control, when really I feel insecure and incomplete for other reasons.
This is a really tough one surely each of us has to gauge for ourselves, whether work is getting in the way of our lives or commitments to those we love, and our goals.
On the flip side there are those who genuinely love to work and do excel. I know a few like it who appear totally satisfied and healthy doing not much more than their career, and they’re awesome. More power to them.
For me though, I find I’m happier since establishing healthier boundaries with my job. And actually, learning to let go has done a lot more for me (and the team) than when I tried to do everything myself.
But it’s also something I still work on on a daily basis. It’s so easy for me to get sucked back in.
I’ve been learning more about co-dependence lately and was surprised to discover it can show up outside of just relationships. Work is a big way people can be co-dependent if they are dependent on their job for external validation or as a source of identity. I think that probably happens to some degree for people who are “workaholics.” Perfectionism also comes into play too. These become habitual tendencies and we keep repeating a pattern even when it doesn’t serve us…much like addiction.