Why does anyone WoW anymore?

You people played the game for years.  Some of you went so far as to custom design your own interfaces, come up with the means to create combat meters, DPS stats, quest logs, thottbots, ad infinitum.  You've played several classes, several races, had several toons to level 60 before the Burning Crusade and then had several of those toons stalling at level 70 before Wrath of the Lich King.  You played BG's and arenas with equal fervor because it was the only way to get  you the gear you wanted for your raids.  

Four (or is it five for those of you who started with the first beta?) years have passed.  You've spent easily $1000 (USD) for this habit, assuming you only owned one account with upgrades and installs.  You changed plans with the real world, called in sick to work to raid, or just screw around with new content.  You've revised your entire life to revolve around a virtual environment where you can boast the best gear, the most obscure titles, the cutest and most rare pets.  You are the virtual shizz.

But your real life sucks.  Your health is in the crapper because you sit in front of a PC for at least 4 hours a night... probably more if you're honest.  Your social skills are mostly non-existant because you seriously think that conversation that extends beyond, "F-ing n00b," is too much investment.  Your latest bf/gf/xf won't speak to you on IM because you /kissed someone else on accident.  You've had dreams about mining ore or making potions because your mind doesn't get enough time to rest between shutting off the game before you went to bed.

Yeah.  Look for Buddha in the pixels.  Seach for Christ-like compassion in Shatt.  Wonder why you repeat the same tasks over and over and over, slaving to a virtual God who rewards you with electronic gear that you can't just let rot because you've invested so much time and effort into getting it?  Because in the back of your mind, you figure if you can win something, somewhere, your life has meaning and becomes less pointless.  I have no doubt the trolls can point out how they multi-boxed three level 80 undead warlocks while simulataneously changing the diapers of their five-month old, Nobel prize-winning twins AND curing heart disease, but so can I.  It's called lying.

I'm sick of watching the people I know go to the hospital, refuse to find other things to do and hide behind their monitors.  Yeah.  The monitor is going to be there when you are on death's door to nurse you back to health.  It seems much more likely that this is the sacrifice the electronic diety makes you pay - health, life, happiness.  Seems like a pretty evil set of clutches to fall into.  But don't worry.  Blizzard will remind you to have fun with your friends both in AND out of Azeroth... during the loading screen you ignore when you get up to use the bathroom.