We all kid around about somebody being a workaholic. The truth is, being a workaholic is nothing to joke about and is a very serious addiction. Addiction to work, while still something that affects people with addictive personalities, has different underlying causes than your typical addiction, which is why work addiction isn't taken as seriously as other addictions, resulting in fewer support groups and treatment.

A person addicted to work may become so for a variety of reasons. One of the most common is boredom and sometimes borderline depression and anxiety. These people find their minds are in constant turmoil. The notion of just being able to sit and watch TV or listen to the radio doesn't even occur to these people. They have no real interests other than the work they do. Being away from that work, no matter how stressful it may be, is like being a fish out of water. The only time they feel like themselves is when they are working, especially if they have a job of authority where people look up to them. This is very common among professional athletes and the reason many have such a difficult time retiring. Suddenly, the fanfare is gone. They are no longer special. They no longer feel important. This is why we have professional athletes playing well beyond the years where they are still productive.

For a factory manager, while the prestige certainly isn't the same, there is still that feeling of your workers looking up to you, especially if you are a personable kind of manager. The times at work are special because of this, and it is because of this that you'll put in double shifts or work weekends; anything to stay on the job.

It is said that many of these people literally work themselves into the grave. This is actually quite true as these are the kind of personalities that have a very difficult time retiring and unless they are forced to retire will continue to work right until their very last breath.

But there is another type of work addiction that is probably even more sad. These are the people who work constantly because they are afraid that they will lose their jobs and be poor. Most of these people probably had difficult childhoods and came from poor families. They know what it was like to be poor and the last thing they want is to go back there. But then there are those who grew up in rich families and possibly they were told by their rich folks that they had to make it on their own. These people are petrified that they won't be able to do it and because of this fear work around the clock to make sure that they succeed. Many of these people actually become very well off and yet always live in the fear that they will wake up one day and it will all be gone.

Unfortunately, there is little help for the workaholic. Society views them as go getters and successful. We don't, as a society, view it as a problem. But it is a problem, one that will continue to grow as it becomes more and more difficult for people to pay their bills at the end of the month.