Addicted to work?

cojack101

Hi,

I feel stupid just posting this here, so you can imagine the trouble I have talking about this in person.

I've been searching online but I can't see any support groups for people who have a work addiction, I feel silly trying to talk 1 to 1 with my GP about this. Does anyone know of a support group for this type of problem?

Thanks.

tenchi-fan

You could pay for counselling.

It might be an idea to take your 2 week's annual leave asap, go to a sunny, remote location and leave your mobile, laptop and work at home.

dan_d

Do you have a fairly high pressure job, working long hours under a lot of stress??

if that's the case, it may be that you're addicted to the adrenalin rush it causes, rather than the actual work.

Either way, I'd start by taking a holiday as suggested, and leave all means of communication at home. The place will not fall down without you. See how you feel when you come back, and take it from there.

cojack101

Thanks for the advice guys, but the problem I have is as soon as I stop working I get very depressed, so I work as long and late as possible because it makes me feel great, so 2 weeks annual leave sounds like torture!

lainey316

But why? Is it because you have nothing else to do, you can't face sitting around doing nothing? In which case perhaps an evening class would be a start - you're not at home, and it is productive, you're still doing something. But it's not work.

What is it about work that makes you feel great? Is there another activity that you could do to give you that high?

Counselling as previously suggested does indeed sound like a good approach.

cojack101

Thanks all for the advice!

Night course sounds like a great idea lainey316, thanks!

Zascar

What do you do? What is it that makes you want to work all the time?

tenchi-fan

A lot of addictions seem to try to fill in some other void in life.

If you're working the whole time there's a possibility you're missing out on relaxation, family, relationships, a social life etc. It's your business of course, I just wonder do you actually enjoy work or is it because you want to keep your mind off other issues.

When I was young two of my dad's brothers died. He ended up working every hour of the day (and nights!) and being distant. He'd come in the evening and just start arguments over nothing. He retired not so long ago and had so little to do he started working again!

JonathanAnon

Sounds a lot like me a few years ago.. I used to dread the weekends, especially interminable bank holiday weekends.. Work made me feel like I had a purpose, and that I was good at something... as opposed to weekends and the social scene which I was not so good at...

What do you find yourself a) thinking about and b) doing.. with your spare time?

Zascar

I was just thinking the other day how I kinda wished I actually wanted to work harder. I do work hard, I do my job well, but if I worked harder I could do better and make more money (I work in sales). The thing is, the reason I do not, is because although I do enjoy my work, like most people, I enjoy not working, more. Even if I'm not doing anything exciting, I could be just chilling in watching tv and surfing boards like tonight, but I love my downtime, my me time.... This is your problem I think - you need to find more things outside work that you love doing.

Some people I work with, I feel that they are uncomfortable 'not working'. We had a team day out a while back full of fun things to do, and a few of them would 'sneak off' to get some work done when they had a few mins spare. I am certain its not because they had to, but because they just its what they do. However, they are incredibly successful and maybe this is why.

Are you very successful? What do you do, and does it pay off working this hard? Sometimes it can be counterproductive. Why is it that you get depressed if you are not working?

Make it part of your 'working' to find other things outside word to do. Make lists of the things you like, and go and do them - the night courses is a great idea, but find more.