Your Likely Addiction

I'm addicted to my phone.
Big surprise, right?

Face it - if you are between the ages of 15 and 30 and living in the United States, there's a good chance that you are addicted to your phone, tablet, video game, or computer, too.

Well we need help, darn it!

As I considered my own symptoms of addiction, I created this mini-test to maybe help you get a handle on your own addictive behaviors. The test is from the perspective of a phone addiction. The number of the following statements which are true for you depends on the severity of your addiction.

The Tech Addict
You wake up most mornings and immediately reach for your phone to see if you have any notifications.

You don't have anything specific to do, or any notifications, but you open 8 apps anyway - texts, SnapChat, Instagram, FB, Twitter, Pinterest, ESPN, YouTube, Email, Browser, a game, or whatever other apps you like.

You just woke up, but you check your phone again while your make breakfast.

You check it right before you get in the shower.

You check it again right after you get out of the shower.

You check it before it goes into your purse or pocket.

You pull it out again thirty seconds later to "check the time", and then again 2 minutes later to "check the time" again.
You text and drive even though you know it's dangerous, illegal, and stupid.
You have it on the table during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You also check it immediately before AND after breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

You check it again when you get in the car, and then at every stop light longer than 10 seconds.
You pull it out every 3 minutes during your walk to work or class.

You keep it visible while you are working, and you look from time to time just to see it.

You often get it out in the middle of someone talking directly to you.
You stop whatever you're doing, even the very sentence you are speaking, when you get a push notification. You read it, process it, and then continue back mid-sentence where you left off.

You feel like you've accomplished something if you can leave it in a different room for an hour.

You accidentally spend fifteen minutes to an hour doing something totally useless on a daily basis, even when you intended to use that time doing something else.

You check the weather app while you're standing outside because "you're curious".
Your phone is within arms' reach during the entire day.

You take the phone with you when you go to the bathroom in your own house.

You feel frequent, impulsive urges during work to get on your phone. This probably happens every 20 minutes.
You are disappointed when you have to charge it, even if you are at home, because you can't have it on your person. You decide to just sit next to the plug.

You have a simple to do list, lots free time, but never get anything done.

You use your phone during any meeting or conversation that lasts longer than 15 minutes, including church services.

You look at it immediately before going to sleep every night.

You wish that you spent less time using it. Then again, you've been saying that for a couple of years.

Sadly, this is reality for a lot of people.

We need to break the Tech Addiction.
It DOES matter.
Make specific goals. 
Choose discipline. 
Ask loved ones for help. 
Free yourself.