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Workaholism

Hello, it's been a little while since I wrote in here. Don't worry, though, I've been working on material. This post is about a question that I have been mulling this month.
If you want to click play on the little embedded song below, that will perhaps add to the experience of reading this post. In particular, I'm reflecting upon the lyrics,

"He works his hands to the bone
To give her money every payday"



For the past few weeks, I've been wondering why some people work long hours. I think there are two categories of explanations. Intrinsic reasons and extrinsic reasons.

The intrinsic reason is basic enough. You like your job! It makes you feel good; it gives you purpose in life.

The extrinsic reasons are more varied. Maybe you need the money. In the Offspring song, our protagonist needs money to keep his girlfriend. Or maybe you are saving up for a bigger house. Maybe you want a promotion, power and status.
I like to lump these extrinsic reasons under the heading "the American Dream."

Now what if you work so hard, because you love your job and you're in pursuit of a dream, that you become addicted to your job? Like the aforementioned dream, workaholism is also part of the American lexicon. We aren't alone. The Japanese call death from overwork karoshi. What a way to go, huh?

So, workaholism. Is this just a description of a person who works too much, or can you actually be addicted to your job? It's not quite as easy to put your finger on as alcoholism. The alcoholic has rehab. Do workaholics go to rehab? The alcoholic can overdose. Karoshi aside, I'm not sure that anyone has died from overwork. The alcoholic has AA. Actually, workaholics have WA, but they never show up for the meetings because they are at work. The point is, workaholism is a strange breed of addiction, if it can be called an addiction.

WebMD calls workaholism the "respectable" addiction. In today's anti-smoking environment, if someone catches lung cancer, we are quick to say they should have seen that coming. But if someone burns out of their job? We're not quite sure how to react. They weren't doing anything wrong. They were in pursuit of the American Dream. Were they actually addicted to their job? Should someone have been there to say them, "hey man, take a vacay! you're losing your mind you're so wrapped up in your work. go home and throw the ball around with your son!"

What do you think? Is workaholism real? Can you really be addicted to your job?