Substance Use Disorder (and why being a workaholic isn’t so different)
- Emanuela Brun
- Oct 4, 2025
- 2 min read
Did you know that addiction is not just about substances? It’s actually about how the brain and psyche adapt to cope. Whether it’s alcohol, drugs, or even work, the underlying mechanisms share common ground.
From a neurobiological perspective, both substances and compulsive work activate the brain’s reward circuits. Dopamine spikes reinforce the behavior, wiring the brain to crave more! ..more of the drug, more hours at the desk etc. Over time, the brain’s balance between reward and self-control circuits shifts, making it harder to step back.
From a psychodynamic perspective, workaholism and substance use can serve the same function: a defense against difficult feelings, emptiness, or unresolved conflicts. The “high” of productivity or the numbing of a substance may temporarily soothe anxiety, loneliness, or inner tension. Both can become substitutes for authentic self-expression and emotional connection.
Substance Use Disorder vs workaholism:
Brain Sensitivity: Some people’s brains react more strongly to dopamine release, whether from substances or achievements.
Early Experiences: If care, safety, or recognition felt conditional, work or substances might become a way to feel worthy or soothed.
Environment: In some cultures, overworking is rewarded; in others, substances are normalized. Both shape vulnerability.
Mental Health: Anxiety, depression, or undiagnosed struggles can drive someone toward the “escape” of either.
Unconscious Conflicts: Work and substances may both protect against feelings of inadequacy, shame, or loss.
So it's important to highlight the fact that addiction isn’t simply about willpower.
Whether it looks like a bottle, a pill, or an endless to-do list, it’s about the interplay of brain circuits, unconscious defenses, and lived experience. And recovery is never identical.
Each brain and each psyche reacts to it differently. Don't rush to judge.
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