The UK needs a Workaholics Anonymous
Mrs E. R. Kingston
I am wondering if you would consider publicising the need for setting up a Workaholics Anonymous in the UK.
Workaholism has recently been recognised as a problem for those suffering from it and for their families, and Workaholics Anonymous has been set up in America. As yet this has not been done in this country although it is a growing problem.
Having had personal experience of the effects of workaholism, and what can be the allied problem of an addiction to computers, I would be willing to give every support to anyone willing to set up such an organisation.
Mrs E. R. Kingston, 22 Dickenson Walk, Alresford, Hants SO24 9PW.
How workaholic are you?
The questions that follow have been devised by Nicholas Albery from the section headings of a book chapter sent in by Mrs E. R. Kingston. The book is entitled 'Working Ourselves to Death' by Diane Farrel (published by Thorsons, 1992, ISBN 0 7225 2642 3). Farrel isolated these characteristics from dealing with workaholics and from Workaholic Anonymous groups in the States. Since denial is a common characteristic, those who are brave enough should perhaps also get a friend to mark them on the following questions. Anywhere between '0' and '10', from '0' for 'not true even the tiniest amount', to '5' for 'neither true not untrue' or 'not relevant' or 'don't know', to '10' for 'true absolutely and always'. For the record, Nicholas Albery, whose wife considers him workaholic, gave himself the mark of 122/210 (58.1%). His son, came independently to an almost identical final assessment, marking his father as 123/210 (58.5%). His wife, however, marked him as a great deal more workaholic than this, at 158/210 (75%). The Institute would be interested to have suggested improvements and comments on these questions from readers, and their own scores, plus the scores given to them by their partners or children.
To what extent is your life becoming hard to manage in terms of being busy, rushing and working?
To what extent do you think that your best friends would consider you were addicted to either alcohol, tobacco, food, money or work?
To what extent would your best friends tend to say that you work too hard and yet that you deny that you work too hard?
To what extent would your friends tend to say that you exaggerate your achievements and downplay your failures?
To what extent do you keep long lists of things to do?
To what extent do you tend to focus your conversation on what you do in your work?
To what extent would your friends claim that you have difficulty in relaxing?
To what extent would your friends say that you were perfectionist?
To what extent would those who work for you say that you were constantly correcting what they do?
To what extent do you think of work constantly - in bed, in the bath, during conversation, while watching TV, etc?
'To what extent do you find yourself working twelve hours a day or more?'
To what extent do you find yourself working twelve hours a day or more?
To what extent would friends say that your work came before your children or other relationships?
To what extent do you like to have a job with an important title and the opportunity to control others?
To what extent would your friends say that you isolate yourself from others by your work?
To what extent would your friends say that you are surrounded by files and piles of stuff that hasn't been sorted and put or thrown away?
To what extent would friends tend to say that you were out of touch with your feelings?
To what extent would your friends say that you see being sociable mainly as a way of making future work contacts?
To what extent do you think that deep down in your being there is an internal message saying 'I'm not good enough'?
To what extent would your friends tend to say that your physical or mental health has suffered from your work?
To what extent do you suffer from forgetfulness - where your keys are, lost papers, buying replacements for lost items, etc?
'To what extent would your friends tend to say that you no longer knew right from wrong in your work dealings and in your life?'
To what extent would your friends tend to say that you no longer knew right from wrong in your work dealings and in your life?
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