The term “workaholic” comes from a parallel between a person’s uncontrollable need to do work and alcoholism. Both the need to be busy and alcohol can turn into addictive habits despite many negative consequences for a person’s health and relationships. 

Being a workaholic isn’t just having a lot to do. The same way that being an alcoholic isn’t casually drinking on the weekends, a workaholic is a person who simply cannot sit still. They need to work excessively. 

When someone is a workaholic, they develop a behavioral addiction. Whether driven by an internal drive to be proactive or an extrinsic motivation, being a workaholic leads to neglecting self-care and pushing oneself far beyond what is necessary. 

Many workaholics experience guilt or anxiety when they take a break. Their brain constantly needs to be stimulated. They choose to stay busy instead of dealing with emotions or interpersonal relationships. 

As a high school student, especially a junior, I find that being a workaholic isn’t hard to become. There are always assignments that need to be completed, club meetings that need to be planned, or SAT prep that should have started yesterday. 

But at what point does completing daily tasks turn into an obsessive need to be busy? 

In my experience, the constant need to multitask, using work to avoid difficult emotions, or an inability to relax signify that a person is a workaholic. 

During an average day, Jake Kriwox, junior, juggles three sports, four jobs, AP classes, clubs, and relationships. At that point, who even has time to sleep? 

Kriwox said, “Work can be used as an outlet or a distraction. If you’re having a hard day, when you go to practice or work, you’re disciplined and focus on something else… Usually, in my first-period chemistry class, I take some rest time.” 

But is working the best form of coping? At what point are people using the idea of productivity as a way to avoid the stressors of their real lives?

People use work to bury themselves. When someone is truly busy, there is no room for sadness. There is no time to overanalyze the state of a relationship or wonder what someone else is thinking when your to-do list demands every ounce of your attention. Workaholics can fill their calendars so they don’t have to face quiet moments of sadness and anxiety. In a workaholic’s brain, there are only goals to accomplish. 

A study by the Department of Psychology at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, published by the National Library of Medicine, cited psychophysical strain, low sleep quality, anxiety, and relationship dysfunction in workaholics. They are more prone to feelings of anxiety, frustration, and anger. 

A workaholic’s work environment is different from that of the average employed American because they have abnormal work conditions. Workaholics are investing time and energy into their work without respecting normal social boundaries. There is a blurred line between work and private life. 

Kennon Furlong, sophomore, is one of the primary caretakers of his household. His day starts at 5:00 am and concludes at the usual teenage bedtime of 12 am. In Furlong’s day-to-day life, he provides for more than one family member, goes to school, takes care of household pets, cooks and cleans for his family, and completes homework. 

This may not be the standard math problems until 1 am or over load of club meetings that some Leesville students are used to, but it most certainly is work. Everything that he does during the day is necessary to the functionality of his family, but leaves little time for fun things. He must prioritize work and productivity over social things. 

Furlong said, “I wish I had more free time. You just get so stressed, and you wanna do the things that you wanna do and not do things for everyone else. I  want to hang out with my friends, sit in my bed, and do absolutely nothing.” 

Gender can play a role in becoming a workaholic. A 2023 article, “People struggling with work addictions”, cited a study from the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology that explained how women have an internal tendency to over-invest themselves in work. This could be from historical gender expectations that make women feel like they have to work 10x harder to make as much progress as a man — cue up TSWIFT “The Man”.

Aside from the workforce, high school students feel the pressure of their college applications. Many things on a student’s plate stem from an undercover competition with their peers. Everyone is competing for the same acceptance letter — individuals must put in extra effort to become unique enough for colleges to pay attention to. 

This sense of competition can lead to students feeling lazy or guilty if they do not pack their lives with “college application worthy” activities. These college-worthy activities wouldn’t be going shopping with friends, or playing pickup basketball on a school night — it would be joining clubs, completing service hours, and endless studying. 

Isabel Snyder, junior, works all the time. She is a case study for teenage workaholics — her schedule balances three AP classes, three honor societies (Rho Kappa, NHS, and Math), and leadership roles ranging from Varsity Tennis Captain to Co-President of SpeakHER.

Snyder said, “I would say a lot of what I do is for the college app, and it’s not that I necessarily pick things that I think will look good, but I pick a lot more things than I would because I think I need more things on the application. Colleges want to see leadership a lot of the time, and when you take on that leadership, you are also taking on a bunch more work.” 

Students who decide to do extracurricular activities to “look good” on a college application are making that choice by their own free will, but there is a delicate balance between doing work and pushing yourself past normal capabilities to be unique. Pressure, like college, is an excuse for students to push themselves to a point of becoming a workaholic — past a point where they feel like doing work is the only way to set up a successful future. 

No matter what the reason someone might become a workaholic, it is important to understand that work is not going to fulfill your life. Balancing self-expectations, work, and interpersonal relationships is a difficult, but necessary, skill to learn.