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When Activities Become Addictive

ADDICTION to substances and addiction to activities are like two trains going the same direction on a common track.a Each has the same destination or purpose: to alter moods and obscure painful feelings. Let us consider some examples of addiction to activities.

Workaholism

Workaholism has been called the respectable addiction. After all, workaholics make excellent employees. Inside, however, they may feel unfulfilled. Work can become either a distraction from painful feelings or an obsessive quest for approval.

Ice protects the skater from drowning in water; activity protects the workaholic from drowning in feelings. Like the skater, the workaholic can put on a dazzling show. But it is all on the surface. What often lurks below? Mental-​health counselor Linda T. Sanford writes: “When the work addict is not consumed with work, he or she may be flooded with dreaded feelings of depression, anxiety, rage, despair and emptiness.”

The ingrained compulsion of many workaholics suggests that it is a long-​term characteristic, possibly rooted in one’s upbringing. This was true with a woman whom we will call Mary. From age six she tried to earn her alcoholic father’s love through cooking and housework. “It became compulsive,” she says. “I felt that if I did more or if I did better, he would love me. All I got in return was criticism.”

As an adult Mary still struggles with this erroneous thinking. “I still feel worthless inside,” she confesses. “I still feel I have to earn love, that I’m not worth anything unless I’m producing. At gatherings I exhaust myself cooking and serving, as if I’m trying to earn my right to be there.”

For those like Mary, a balanced view of work is essential. The Bible does commend hard work. (Proverbs 6:6-8; 2 Thessalonians 3:10, 12) Jehovah God himself is productive. (Psalm 104:24; John 5:17) But he is never compulsive. Jehovah saw good in his creative works not just when they were completed but even during the creative process.​—Genesis 1:4, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31; compare Ecclesiastes 5:18.

Jehovah God’s Master Worker, his Son, Jesus, likewise reflected personal satisfaction in his work. (Proverbs 8:30, 31) Jesus promised his followers that they too would find refreshment in working with him. Together they shared a high-​priority assignment. But this did not prevent them from resting.​—Matthew 11:28-30; Mark 6:31; compare Ecclesiastes 4:6.

Perhaps a parent implied that your worth depended on your performance or that love would be withheld until it was earned. You will be relieved to know that this is not Jehovah’s view of proper parenting. His Word counsels: “Fathers, do not be exasperating your children, so that they do not become downhearted [“feel inferior,” The Amplified Bible].” (Colossians 3:21) Jehovah is not one who withholds love until it is earned. His love is not something that he bestows only after one begins to love and serve him. Indeed, the Bible tells us that “he first loved us,” yes, even “while we were yet sinners,” God took the initiative in loving us. (1 John 4:19; Romans 5:6-8) Furthermore, Jehovah does not criticize our sincere efforts to do his will. Therefore, our service to him becomes a genuine expression of our love for him.

Television Addiction

Some call excessive TV viewing an addiction. “Not unlike drugs or alcohol,” writes Marie Winn in The Plug-​In Drug, “the television experience allows the participant to blot out the real world and enter into a pleasurable and passive mental state.”

Of course, there is nothing wrong with being distracted from life’s responsibilities​—temporarily. But some viewers never come back to reality. One husband who suddenly couldn’t watch TV when the set broke confessed: “I feel that my mind was completely mummified for all those years. I was glued to that machine and couldn’t get loose, somehow.” A youngster named Kai describes a similar compulsion: “I don’t want to watch television as much as I do but I can’t help it. It makes me watch it.”

Excessive TV viewing impedes thinking ability. The Bible recommends meditative pondering, which requires a measure of solitude. (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2, 3; 145:5; Matthew 14:23; Luke 4:42; 5:16; 1 Timothy 4:15) This frightens many people. They become jittery when surrounded by silence. They fear being alone with their own thoughts. They frantically search for anything to fill the void. TV becomes a quick fix. Even at its best, however, TV is just a substitute for real life.

Compulsive Gambling

Gambling is rooted in greed. But compulsive gambling is often much more than a money matter.b “I needed the ‘high’ to escape from reality,” says Nigel. “It was exactly like taking a drug.” To the compulsive gambler, the process of gambling is often a reward in itself. The consequences are irrelevant. Nigel lost his friends. Others lose their families. Many lose their health. And virtually all lose their money. But few stop, since winning or losing is not the issue. It is playing the game​—the process—​that alters the mood and administers a druglike high.

Gambling may be a distraction from life’s problems, but it will not make them go away. A seriously injured man needs more than a painkiller. His wounds must be treated. If there are wounds that have led a person to gamble, he should identify them and treat them. This takes courage, but it is ultimately rewarding.

Break Free

To break free from any addiction, the internal anguish that often fuels the addiction cannot be ignored. The addict must try to treat the problem at its source. This is a challenge. “You don’t just walk away from 30 years of drugs and alcohol,” says one former addict, “especially when your addiction was camouflaging a deep-​seated problem.”

Yet, breaking free of addiction is worth the effort. Mary, the compulsive worker mentioned earlier, describes it well. “For years,” she says, “I was running from things I was scared to face. But now that I’ve faced those things, it’s amazing how small they’ve become.”

This has been the experience of many who have successfully overcome addiction. Rather than continuing as “slaves of destructive habits,” they have prayed for “power beyond what is normal” to face successfully the challenge of conquering addiction.​—2 Peter 2:19, Today’s English Version; 2 Corinthians 4:7.

[Footnotes]

[Blurb on page 9]

‘The term addictions can be applied to all kinds of compulsive behavior.’​—Dr. J. Patrick Gannon.

[Picture on page 10]

To a workaholic, work seems more important than family

[Picture on page 10]

Gambling can alter one’s mood and cause a druglike high