In the contemporary world, there is an enormous form of addiction. Loving something is a different thing, but getting an addiction to it can harm a person and other persons in their surroundings. Alcoholics and workaholics are two forms of addiction.
Most of the people in the world have come across the term alcoholic. Even WHO has highlighted about 140 million alcoholics around the world.
But workaholic is quite less talked about but occupy 10% of the working population in the US. So, alcoholics and workaholics are a form of addiction with a different concept.
Key Takeaways
- Alcoholics are individuals who struggle with alcohol addiction and compulsive drinking behaviors.
- Workaholics compulsively work long hours and prioritize work over personal and social life.
- Both alcoholics and workaholics may experience negative effects on health, relationships, and overall well-being.
Alcoholic vs Workaholic
An alcoholic is someone who has a dependence on alcohol and is unable to control their drinking. Alcoholism can lead to physical and mental health problems. A workaholic is someone who is addicted to work and feels compelled to work excessively. Workaholism can lead to burnout and stress.
The term alcoholic was coined by a Swedish physician, namely Magnus Huss, in 1849. Repetitive and excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages at the extent level can lead to becoming an alcoholic.
In this case, the drinker harms himself and others repeatedly. The harm may be mental, physical, legal, economic, or social.
The term workaholic was coined by the minister and psychologist Wayne Oates in 1971. In a workaholic, the person has a compulsive desire to work.
Generally, an alcoholic person continually thinks about work and works for excessive hours. A workaholic person may be suffering from physical health and various psychiatric disorders.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Alcoholic | Workaholic |
|---|---|---|
| Interpretation | It refers to someone who fails to stop drinking alcohol in large amounts. | It refers to someone who loves to work and even does it too much. |
| Coined by | Magnus Huss | Wayne Oates |
| Coined in | 1849 | 1971 |
| Genetic influence | Substantial influence | Yet to be asserted |
| Prognosis | Poor | Better than alcoholic |
What is Alcoholic?
An alcoholic person suffers from a disorder in which the problem of drinking becomes severe. A person suffering from this condition fails to know how and when to stop drinking.
The body of an alcoholic person becomes eventually addicted or dependent on alcohol. As a result, alcohol becomes important in one’s life.
The cause of becoming an alcoholic is still mysterious, mainly when a person drinks a large amount, which affects the brain and causes chemical changes.
These changes increase the feeling of drinking more alcohol, even if it causes harm. An alcoholic person tries to prevent withdrawal symptoms by engaging in more drinking.
An alcoholic person shows symptoms in his behaviour and physical outcomes. Some of the behaviour changes are drinking alone, eating poorly, becoming violent, and neglecting personal hygiene.
Physical symptoms include alcohol cravings, tremors, and illness, and memory lapses. The method varies for the treatment of an alcoholic person, but each means to stop drinking together.
Treatment is as follows: detoxification to rid the body of alcohol, rehabilitation to learn a new behaviour, and counselling to highlight emotional problems. Medical treatment for alcohol use disorder and medications to control addiction also play a vital role.
What is Workaholic?
A workaholic person suffers from real mental health, but it is not recognized as a formally diagnosable disorder. This person develops emotional, social, and psychological dependence on work.
A workaholic person works for long hours even if it is not needed and also sacrifices his sleep for work. A workaholic struggles to detach from work, which leads to anxiety, high levels of stress, depression, and sleep problems.
High cortisol levels and high blood pressure can be seen due to chronic stress. All these can put someone at great risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even death.
If a person recognizes this problem, then there are various ways to cope with it, such as by making time for friends and family.
Doing scheduled activities after the over of the workday and setting a ‘stop time’ for work can help to cope with it. A workaholic person can also seek a counsellor or therapist.
Sometimes, people fail to recognize if they are suffering from work addiction or it is just long hours of work that are a part of life. Just because it is just someone’s job does not mean that they are addicted.
But it can be someone who struggles psychologically to detach from work.
Main Differences Between Alcoholic and Workaholic
- There is a higher risk of becoming an alcoholic if a male drinks more than 15 times per week and a female drinks more than 12 times per week, while a person who is addicted to work and struggles to psychologically detach from work can make a workaholic.
- The behavioural changes included in Alcoholics are abusing people, Binge drinking, lying, and anxiety. On the other hand, workaholics, include anger outbursts, withdrawal from social life, and working extra hours.
- When it comes to health hazards, Alcoholics mainly suffer from heart diseases, liver problems, and gastrointestinal troubles. However, the loss of appetite, increased stress, and panic attacks are some of the health hazards of a workaholic.
- To prevent being alcoholic there is no other option than limiting alcoholic intake two drinks per day is enough for men and one drink per day for women. By spending time with family and friends and setting a stop time for work can prevent workaholics.
- Alcoholics can be treated through three stages, namely detoxification, rehabilitation, and maintenance. On the flip side, workaholics can be treated by different psychotherapeutic methods combination such as cognitive therapy.
- https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1987-98538-000
- https://iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2011.00454.x
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️