Corporate America is built on our society's appreciation for the capacity to overwork. This is rarely seen as a problem much less an addiction.
The definition of addiction includes words like 'compulsive' and
'harmful'. All of us have to over work at some time in our lives.
Overworking is only an addiction when you feel powerless to stop. It is
only an addiction when this compulsion assumes center stage in your
life at the cost of all other elements of a health life.
Overworking as an addiction turns a diligent human being into a
travesty, a kind of guinea pig unable to step off the wheel in its cage.
Every addiction requires a "high" that good feeling that keeps you
coming back for more. The "high" for the overworker is the way he feels
about himself while he works. It is a bit like the endorphins that
flood the body of the compulsive exerciser. This sense of self worth is
often a function of the opinions of others. People generally applaud
the hard worker but lack the discernment to differentiate between
compulsion and diligence.
The harm that overworking causes becomes evident in two main areas: the
health and wellbeing of the person overworking and the relationships he
has with family and loved ones.
The overworker is unable to stop working; this means that exhaustion
and high blood pressure and all the other health issues that arise
under pressure are inevitable. Wellbeing depends on a delicate balance.
Overworking rides roughshod over this. As a result body, mind and
spirit suffer, sometimes even fatally.
Successful treatment of this addiction is dependent on a recognition
that a problem exists. Good psychotherapy can reach to the root cause
of the need to overwork while cognitive and behavioral therapies can
help to modify behavior.
Addictions.org
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