The most prevalent of all addictions is WORK! There are many people (perhaps you are one) who are driven to work excessively and compulsively. These people are classified as work addicts, or more commonly, workaholics.  Work addiction causes a myriad of problems for the addicted and others, such as family and friends. Now, there is a test you can take to see if you have work addict tendencies. 

The Most Common of All Addictions: WORK

I have written about burnout but there is a difference between burnout and work addiction. The major distinction is that work addiction is when there is a complete overlap between work and private life – and work is winning. Burnout is stress related and accumulation of issues, work may be one of them.

The Work Addiction Assessment

The University of Bergen, Norway and Nottingham Trent University, England just completed a study in which over 12,000 employees from 25 separate industry groups were tested for work addiction. From this study, the researchers developed the Bergen Work Addiction Scale, which indicates whether a person can be considered a workaholic or non-workaholic.

Is Work The #1 Aspect Of Your Life?

The Bergen test, the first of its kind, was developed to show the correlation between workaholism and other health issues, such as, insomnia, stress-issues, wellness issues, general conflicts between work and family/personal life.

The test reflects the seven core elements of addiction: Salience, Mood Modification, Tolerance, Withdrawal, Conflict, Relapse, and Chronic Problems. The Bergen Test aides in estimating the prevalence of work related addiction.

Do The Following:

The test uses seven basic criteria to identify work addiction. You rate each one of the criteria as follows: 1. Never, 2. Rarely, 3. Sometimes, 4. Often, 5. Always.

1. How often do you think of giving more time to work?
2. Do you spend much more time working than you initially intended.
3. Do you work to reduce feelings of guilt, unpleasantness, or depression
4. You have been told by others to reduce work but you do not listen to them
5. You become stressed if you are prohibited from working
6. Your forego hobbies, leisure activities, and exercise because of work
7. You work so much that it has negativity influenced your health

Scoring at least four of the seven criteria with an ‘often’ or ‘always’ rating suggests you have addiction tendencies. If so, you should assess how your work is impacting your life and those around you. If you believe you are suffering from too much work and you can’t stop the impulse to work seek professional help. Work addiction is no joke. It can take over your life and bring on health and mental issues that are not apparent to you.