Addiction - Adrenaline, Stress and You - R U Workaholic?

Below has excerpted from
http://www.doctorshealthsupply.com/homeopath/adrenaline_and_stress.htm

The Hidden Link Between Adrenaline and Stress

what we have not heard clearly enough is that the essence of stress damage lies not so much in the problems of life, but in our attitude toward time and the excitement and pleasure we derive from interesting challenges and demanding schedules. The stress response is a natural form of arousal. In moderation, it is healthy--even necessary. But continuous over arousal leads to stress disease--and it doesn't matter whether this is the consequence of overwork, unhappiness, or plain, old-fashioned excitement.
Such long-term over arousal and excessive flow of those hormones associated with stress will eventually lead to physiological and psychological distress, and the leader among these hormones is adrenaline. Recent research has made it very clear that hyper arousal of the adrenal system is the essential causative factor in coronary and artery disease, the most serious form of stress damage . . .

HOW STRESS DOES ITS DAMAGE

How does the heart know what to do? It has no direct connection to the nervous system to receive signals from the brain. . . . Rather, it is designed to respond to signals from the complex chemical messengers that circulate in the blood--including the adrenaline hormones. Unfortunately, it is this sensitivity to chemical messengers, the genius of the heart's operations, that carries with it risks as well as advantages. Over a period of time, when out of balance, these same messengers can literally destroy the heart. . . .
Besides the mobilizing of our body for flight, the chronic increased flow of adrenaline produces a number of other less helpful and more serious consequences.

These include:
An increase in the production of blood cholesterol
A narrowing of the capillaries and other blood vessels that can shut down the blood supply to the heart muscle.
A decrease in the body's ability to remove cholesterol
An increase in the blood's tendency to clot
An increase in the depositing of plaque on the walls of the arteries
In short bursts, elevated adrenaline is not damaging or dangerous. In fact, that is what it is designed to do. But when sustained at high levels over a period of time, it can be very harmful. Adrenaline arousal can be compared to revving up a car engine, then leaving it to idle at high speed. . . .The most serious effect of elevated adrenaline, when persistent and unrelenting, is its damage to the heart and arteries.

A HURRY SICKNESS
THE TYPE-A PERSONALITY

The idea that there is a particular type of personality that is more prone to experience distress is not widely accepted although, of course, it must be recognized that not everybody can be put into a simple two-box category. In fact, most people are really a mixture of many characteristics. But for our purposes, it can be helpful to think of ourselves as fitting into one category or the other. No doubt you have heard many references to these personality categories--'Type A' and 'Type B' . . .

TYPE-A BEHAVIOR PATTERN TEST:

Read each question carefully and give yourself a score according to the following descriptions:

Score Description
0 This statement does not apply to me
1 It sometimes applies to me (less than once a month)
2 It often applies to me (more than once a month)

Statement
1. I feel like there isn't enough time in each day to do all the things I need to do. _____
2. I tend to speak faster than other people, even finishing their sentences for them. _____
3. My spouse or friends say, or I believe, that I eat too quickly. _____
4. I would rather win than lose a game. _____
5. I am very competitive in work, sports, or games. _____
6. I tend to be bossy and dominate others. _____
7. I prefer to lead rather than follow. _____
8. I feel pressed for time even when I am not doing something important. _____
9. I become impatient when I have to wait for something or when interrupted. _____
10. I tend to make decisions quickly, even impulsively. _____
11. I take on more than I can accomplish. _____
12. I become irritable more often than most other people. _____

Now total your score: _____

ANALYZING YOUR SCORE

* If your total score is less than 5, you are definitely not a Type-A person. You may occasionally slip into Type-A behavior, but not often enough for it to be a problem.

* From 6 to 10, you are beginning to show occasional signs of Type-A behavior. You may have a temporary irritation in your life or some aspect of your work is getting to you. You are approaching the Type A behavior pattern as you get nearer the upper end of this score. You may be a mixture of Type A and Type B.

* From 11 to 16, you are definitely a Type-A person. At the higher end of this score, you are becoming prone to excessive adrenaline recruitment and are likely to be evidencing signs of distress.

* Above 17, not only are you a Type-A person but you are living dangerously. Life may be miserable for you but it can also be very exciting. Either way, you are prone to develop cardiovascular deterioration if you do not change your behavior pattern. If you smoke or have any of the other high risk factors (diabetes, high blood pressure, or family history of heart disease), I advise you to seek professional help.

THE PENALTY FOR TYPE-A TENDENCIES

There are some good things about being a Type-A person. People with this personality type accomplish a lot. They get things done. And often their sense of hurry comes from caring deeply about and feeling responsible for the world around them.
But there is a physical penalty to be paid for being a predominantly Type-A person. Type-A people recruit very much more adrenaline than Type B. And research has shown that Type-A men have three times the incidence of heart disease as Type-B men. This is rapidly becoming true of women, also, as they move into more competitive lifestyles...
What is important to remember is that the stress hormones, including adrenaline, are always found in excessive amounts in these individuals. Type-A behavior patterns and higher levels of adrenaline are lifelong partners . . .

HURRY SICKNESS IS A TWENTIETH-CENTURY DISEASE

A large part of the damage we experience in our lives is caused by 'hurry sickness.' It comes from our urge to live and do everything in haste. As a consequence, we live at a pace too fast for our bodies. This hurried lifestyle creates a persistent internal state of emergency that keeps our stress hormones elevated . . .
Type-A persons constantly struggle against time. They hate to 'waste time' eating, having a haircut, or sitting in the park. They hate waiting in line and are always active, restless, moving, doing things. And Type-A people pay for their sense of time urgency in increased circulation of adrenaline and consequent stress damage.
There's another aspect to hurry sickness that transcends basic tendencies and personality types. Hurriedness has become a distinguishing characteristic of the age we live in. Life has quite literally 'speeded up' . . . Type A's and B's alike are coming under the influence of a technologically accelerating world. They are constantly being bombarded by demands to do more and more . . . faster and faster. Expanding opportunities and enhanced communication also mean constant stimulation and demand . . .

ARE YOU AN ADRENALINE ADDICT?

It is actually possible for us to become addicted to our own adrenaline! We can get hooked on the pleasurable 'high' that comes from the working of the body's own defense system! Both psychological dependence on the excitement of adrenaline arousal, as well as physical addiction to the hormone, can be involved. And this addiction can powerfully control our actions and emotions.

Workaholism is Adrenaline Addiction!!!