American workers talk about vacations, plan for them, dream about them and then, never take them. In the United States 415 million vacation days will go unused in 2004. Given a five day work week, that comes out to 1.6 million years of unused vacation.

Some of the reasons given include concerns about job security, too busy with work to get away, nothing will go right if they are not there to supervise, and they just have to work too hard before they leave for vacation. Then, there is the excuse that when they return, there are too many emails to respond to and crises piled up while they were away. Even when away on vacation, 32 percent of us insist on checking voice mail and email while away from the job.

Jeff DeGraff, associate professor of Management Education at the University of Michigan Business School believes that Americans are addicted to work and that it is fundamental to our identity. He believes that it is a ". . .socially sanctioned addiction."

The United States is unique in that it is the only developed nation that does not have government sanctioned vacation time. Although other countries have mandatory vacation time, it is not in our belief system to do so. It does not improve profits, and as a result, has no value.

In the U.S. the productivity rates have been rising. Therefore, work is highly valued. But, all work and no play come at a price. When vacations are ignored, health problems arise including hypertension, depression, obesity and diabetes.

Experts recommend that to make the break from work, vacations should be scheduled, and planning ahead will help you make the change to an enjoyable vacation.