Achievement Addiction: When Success Becomes a High

"For most of my career as an internal medicine physician and hospice specialist, I have been in the business of treating pain. Over time, the field has grown more sophisticated, but one truth has remained constant: Opiate medications-fentanyl, morphine, and even illicit drugs like heroin-are extraordinarily effective for acute pain, cancer-related pain, and end-of-life suffering. They are devastatingly harmful, however, when used for chronic musculoskeletal pain. Instead of offering relief, they often deepen suffering and destroy lives."

"I've come to believe that our culture is addicted to a different kind of drug, one that is far less destructive to the body than fentanyl but nevertheless creates more suffering than it relieves: achievement. The wreckage may not show up in emergency rooms or morgues, but the pain is real. The treadmill of relentless striving leaves many people anxious, restless, and unfulfilled."

"Addiction Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing disorder marked by compulsive seeking and use despite harmful consequences. Most people dependent on fentanyl or heroin know that their drug use is destructive-yet they cannot stop. Achievement addiction follows a similar pattern. Reaching goals can feel euphoric, but the high is fleeting. The psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar coined the term arrival fallacy to describe the mistaken belief that happiness will last once a goal is achieved."

Achievement functions like a behavioral addiction by producing rapid dopamine-driven highs from success, followed by quick fading that prompts repeated striving. Short-lived rewards create tolerance and withdrawal-like restlessness, mirroring opioid addiction patterns with harmful consequences despite awareness. The arrival fallacy—expecting lasting happiness after reaching goals—exacerbates dissatisfaction. Chronic goal-chasing often leaves people anxious and unfulfilled, while process-focused engagement yields more durable fulfillment. Cultivating acceptance of being already enough and shifting attention to present-moment processes can break compulsive striving and foster lasting happiness and meaning.

Read at Psychology Today