Quantifying Internet and Technology Addiction – Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous

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As a demonstration of the potentially devastating consequences of Internet and Technology addiction, this is how one member quantified the loss resulting from their addiction. No matter our past experiences, we have found the exercise of quantifying the consequences of our addiction to be illuminating and powerful.

What 25 years of Internet Addiction has cost me:

25 years of living in extremely messy dorm rooms and apartments.
20 years of chronic injuries and health problems.
19 years since my last serious relationship.
17 years since my last close friendship I spent much time with in person.
11 years since the last time I’ve gone on more than one date with the same person.
10 years since I’ve been able to handle a full workload at paid employment or school.
7 years since the last time I’ve gone on any date.
6 years since my last paid employment.
5 years since my last cancelled date.
5 years since my last attempt at having a social life.
2 years living/traveling abroad with very little time spent sightseeing.
Over a year’s delay getting into graduate school two different times.
Roughly a year’s total time of being underemployed at work that I could have spent learning new skills but didn’t.
2 grad schools that were a poor fit for me, partly out of fear of taking online classes.
2 graduate schools I dropped out of.
10 dropped or failed classes.
Final grades of a B, C or F in my last classes at a school as a direct result of internet binges that had major repercussions on my future.
1 research paper never turned in that a professor gave me credit for.
Missing my opportunity to have children.
Ruined relationships with roommates.
Early diabetes that got severe because I only ate things that could be eaten with one hand while at the computer.
Multiple messed up moves.
Being 8 months behind in a job training program that is only supposed to take 6 months.
Not finishing a different job training program that only required 32 hours of work and that I had 5 weeks to do while unemployed.
Sidetracking from a plan that when I was in my late 30’s would have put me retiring comfortably in my late 40’s.
And roughly a cost of one million dollars.

Page last updated on ספטמבר 3, 2023