an alcoholic - can not wait to get that glass of wine or that cocktail knocked back because it bolsters their mood, makes them relax, makes them feel on top of the world - at least for awhile until the behavior turns ugly and creates an isolation and stimes personal growth

- I am a workaholic - I need to work to feel whole, complete, valued in the world - it can become a crutch that keeps you from spending time developing other interests, rounding out ones experiences, meeting other people, exercising, spending time with family, learning new tricks

I know that when the economy has slowed, my work has tapered off and a slow slide into depression can easily take hold

If one sees oneself through the lens of success, activity, money making is of value, then when that ceases - ouch

its a way to keep us in one place - it creates security a sanctuary of sorts that allows one to hide behind a cloak of achievements, contacts, new projects but its transparent and impermanent

there is value in hard work and in achieving much - but its important to remember that work is only one part of life's experience opportunities

as a divorced, self employed parent of two just recently graduated college students - without alot of retirement and savings - I do not intend to abandon my workaholic tendencies any time soon - I know the pitfalls of too much focus on one's career - but I am a workaholic - it gives me that buzz or rush like an alcoholic of being in control of my world and empowered - when business is good it fuels the addiction

My casual definition of a workaholic is like the classic definition of an alcoholic: A workaholic is the guy in the box next to me whose behaviors are identical to mine!

In today's world, any high achiever is going to be called a workaholic. My serious definition of workaholic is someone whose work interferes with other parts of his life. If, for instance, you lose your family or the relationship with your children because of your focus on work, yeah, you are a workaholic no matter how noble the work or how much money you are giving them to make up for the fact that you aren't there for them.

How to draw the line is the issue. Is work an end in itself? Is money an end in itself? For instance, the guy who has to work overtime to pay the bills for his kid in medical school or who has enormous medical bills from a disorder is not a workaholic. The single mother who needs two jobs to support her family is not a workaholic. The man who works at home but spends all his time shut in his office focusing on his work to the exclusion of his family is either a workaholic or has something worse going on that we don't want to know about.