Portraits of Workaholism
The old saying that addiction is a cunning, baffling and powerful disease certainly rings true in the case of work addiction. Work addiction can manifest in many ways by infiltrating one or more parts of a person’s life. This entry will explore three of six common expressions or forms of workaholism. Notice how sneaky a work addiction can be and how, if left unchecked, it will piggy back on just about any area of a carrier’s life.
The Paid Workaholic:
This is the most traditional form of work addiction. It can affect both “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” workers. Paid Workaholics have figured out that their productivity on the job has many rewards. The harder they work the more kudos they get. People acting out their work addiction on the job will receive all sorts of perks that can include financial gain, promotions and more responsibilities. This, in turn, may drive the Paid Workaholic toward levels of production that are difficult to sustain for extended periods of time. Thus, the Paid Workaholic creates an unsustainable job situation that will eventually unravel. When this happens, the Paid Workaholic experiences a tremendous letdown. The mantra of the Paid Workaholic is, “I am what I do.” So, when a Paid Workaholic doesn’t produce as much and can’t seem to have success, this is taken personally and might eventually lead the Paid Workaholic into recovery.
The Fitness Fanatic:
When work addiction invades the fitness center, it often produces a Fitness Fanatic. Like any other fanatic, the Fitness Fanatic is a person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm for his or her cause. The Fitness Fanatic finds that an over exaggerated and almost compulsive dedication to his/her particular form of exercise(s) produces results. These results give him/her a definite advantage over and above others (superiority) and thus reinforces the hunger for more. The mantra of the Fitness Fanatic is “I am my results.” Thus, the fitness fanatic perpetuates his or her addiction by always doing more. When a Fitness Fanatic hits plateaus in making progress, this often leads him/ her into a mild depression. If a Fitness Fanatic gets injured while exercising, s/he may continue to exercise in spite of obvious negative consequences.
The Hurried Sick:
Work addiction may permeate every area of life and produce a form of workaholism best described as the Hurried Sick. The Hurried Sick workaholic is constantly overbooked. S/he believes that mass production is the name of the game and so s/he will not leave any room in the calendar for mistakes or hang-ups in his / her itinerary. Thus, the Hurried Sick person often finds him/herself needing to be in two places at the same time. This type of behavior may seem unrealistic and self-defeating. However, the mantra of the Hurried Sick is, “I am only as good as the pace I keep.” Thus, the fast pace of the Hurried Sick produces the desired effects of anxiety, worry and a full-flowing adrenaline rush.
The old saying that addiction is a cunning, baffling and powerful disease certainly rings true in the case of work addiction. Work addiction can manifest in many ways by infiltrating one or more parts of a person’s life. This entry will explore three of six common expressions or forms of workaholism. Notice how sneaky a work addiction can be and how, if left unchecked, it will piggy back on just about any area of a carrier’s life.
The Paid Workaholic:
This is the most traditional form of work addiction. It can affect both “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” workers. Paid Workaholics have figured out that their productivity on the job has many rewards. The harder they work the more kudos they get. People acting out their work addiction on the job will receive all sorts of perks that can include financial gain, promotions and more responsibilities. This, in turn, may drive the Paid Workaholic toward levels of production that are difficult to sustain for extended periods of time. Thus, the Paid Workaholic creates an unsustainable job situation that will eventually unravel. When this happens, the Paid Workaholic experiences a tremendous letdown. The mantra of the Paid Workaholic is, “I am what I do.” So, when a Paid Workaholic doesn’t produce as much and can’t seem to have success, this is taken personally and might eventually lead the Paid Workaholic into recovery.
The Fitness Fanatic:
When work addiction invades the fitness center, it often produces a Fitness Fanatic. Like any other fanatic, the Fitness Fanatic is a person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm for his or her cause. The Fitness Fanatic finds that an over exaggerated and almost compulsive dedication to his/her particular form of exercise(s) produces results. These results give him/her a definite advantage over and above others (superiority) and thus reinforces the hunger for more. The mantra of the Fitness Fanatic is “I am my results.” Thus, the fitness fanatic perpetuates his or her addiction by always doing more. When a Fitness Fanatic hits plateaus in making progress, this often leads him/ her into a mild depression. If a Fitness Fanatic gets injured while exercising, s/he may continue to exercise in spite of obvious negative consequences.
The Hurried Sick:
Work addiction may permeate every area of life and produce a form of workaholism best described as the Hurried Sick. The Hurried Sick workaholic is constantly overbooked. S/he believes that mass production is the name of the game and so s/he will not leave any room in the calendar for mistakes or hang-ups in his / her itinerary. Thus, the Hurried Sick person often finds him/herself needing to be in two places at the same time. This type of behavior may seem unrealistic and self-defeating. However, the mantra of the Hurried Sick is, “I am only as good as the pace I keep.” Thus, the fast pace of the Hurried Sick produces the desired effects of anxiety, worry and a full-flowing adrenaline rush.
These three forms of work addiction do not have any respect for race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. Any person coming from dysfunctional family of origin conditions can gravitate toward a work addiction just as easily as they might gravitate toward an addiction to an ingested substance such as alcohol or nicotine.
If you are working yourself to death, The Bridge to Recovery can help you put the brakes on your addiction. For more information about our program, please call 877-866-8661 or visit our website at http://www.thebridgetorecovery.com/.
Stay tuned for our next blog entry as we explore three other forms a work addiction might take.
If you are working yourself to death, The Bridge to Recovery can help you put the brakes on your addiction. For more information about our program, please call 877-866-8661 or visit our website at http://www.thebridgetorecovery.com/.
Stay tuned for our next blog entry as we explore three other forms a work addiction might take.
I am a recovering workaholic. Thank God for my time at The Bridge! When I left Greg insightfully told me not to do my recovery "workaholically" - no 90 in 90 for me. I sought balance, two meetings a week, plus counseling. This has paid off wonderfully. After two years I now cherish the space and peace in my life.
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