A survey of 8,000 people by the UK Institute of Personnel and Development found that one in three people work more than 48 hours per week and claim to be addicted to their jobs. One in six people work more than 60 hours a week and three-quarters of employees currently work overtime but only one-third gets paid for it. According to British Department of Trade and Industry figures, male employees in Britain have the highest average hours in the EU.
In view of these findings the British Department of Trade and Industry organised a three-day conference at the beginning of 2003 to deal with a “new British disease”, called overworking or ‘workaholism’.

What is workaholism?

Workaholism can be described as the inability to stop working. Whether you are in the office, at home, in bed, or socialising, if you find that you cannot stop thinking about work or talking about work then it is very likely that you are or you are about to become a workaholic.

Until recently many people described workaholism as a respectable addiction, and half thought that it was an admirable attribute. However, the condition is now recognised as a serious problem and many theories have been put forward to try and better understand what motivates the workaholic. Some theories see workaholism as “a coping strategy” (Jeffrey P Kahn MD) to mask underlying emotional problems such as anxiety, low self-esteem, depression and obsessive-compulsive traits. Paul Thorne and Michael Johnson, authors of “Workaholism”, define a workaholic as “a person whose need to work has become so excessive that it disturbs physical health, personal happiness, interpersonal relations or the ability to function socially.”

Thorne and Johnson identify two types of workaholics: the active and the passive. Active workaholics work for the sheer pleasure of working. They have energy for working longer hours and they believe that such devotion brings special rewards. They combine energy and stamina with powerful obsessional traits, and often there is a history of prior addictions.

Passive workaholics are driven to work by insecurities, fear or paranoia until overwork becomes ingrained and habitual, damaging the balance of their lives almost without them realising it.

Whether you are an active or a passive workaholic, the biological reaction is much the same. It starts with a neurotransmitter in the brain called dopamine. The main function of dopamine is to turn ‘need’ into ‘action’ by elevating desire. Repeated stimulation can make this pathway hungry for more and more. This progressive sensitisation takes appetites beyond the levels that simply satisfy our needs and into the world of overindulgence.

Can workaholism damage my health?

Whether therapists and doctors describe workaholism as an addiction, a coping strategy, or a symptom, they all agree on one thing - that it is unhealthy.

Workaholics are often stressed. In times of stress an added surge of adrenaline courses through the body. This puts extra strain on the heart, and increases blood pressure, breathing and the production of cortisol. These are all natural responses and cause no harm in small doses, but in large or prolonged amounts they can become detrimental to your health.

Studies show that Japan has the largest amount of workaholics worldwide and overwork is responsible for 10,000 deaths there each year. The Japanese even have a word for death by overwork - ‘karoshi’.

Ironically, being a workaholic can also be detrimental to business, as workaholics find it difficult to delegate. A useful rule of thumb for those busy or stressful periods is ‘deal with it, delegate it, or dump it! ’

How can I overcome workaholism?

Some workaholics are more curable than others are. The active type will most likely struggle to remain active, while the passive type should find it easier to stop. The good news is that with a willing spirit, a good doctor, and/or loving family support any addict can have his or her biochemistry reconstructed to remove this overwhelming appetite.

Physical or mental exercise such as positive thinking, relaxing meditation, or spiritual comfort from family and friends can all help to overcome workaholism by stimulating the production of the hormone serotonin. This hormone acts as a calming agent to the production of dopamine, and gives the workaholic a sense of being satisfied.

The following three basic changes will all help the workaholic to achieve a better work/life balance:
1. Unlock denial.
2. Learn to leave the past behind and concentrate on hopes for the future.
3. Recruit help. It is a very rare addict that can overcome addiction alone.