AI Addiction Is Real: A Type A's Mental Health Wake-Up Call
Eric Guyer
2 min read
March 2026
Happy Friday! Let’s talk about #MentalHealth and #AI.
First, understand that I am your stereotypical Type A, obsessive, who embraces the motto "moderation is for sissies." At 51, and after decades of therapy, I have come to recognize … immediately … when presented with something dangerously addictive.
I’m no sociologist but humankind has never seen anything like this, on par or surpassing the ill effects of social media.
AI and its promise of infinite personal productivity, combined with the fear of becoming unemployable in an automated universe, is the next mental health thing. And a force multiplier is that the pace of innovation makes staying ahead entirely elusive.
Even now, while writing this, I am tempted to run my words through AI for "clarity, conciseness, and grammatical correctness." Nope… let’s post from the heart ❤️
In the past three or four weeks, I have accomplished, alone, more than months and perhaps years at a time prior to Anthropic #ClaudeCode, #ClaudeCowork, and Opus 4.6. Everything from a Concept2, Inc. training app to an Oracle #26ai #RAG pipeline, to automated Google Ads and LinkedIn Campaigns. Amazing. But I am also waking up in the middle of the night wondering if my agents have completed their work!
Not sure what to make of all this except to say those of us down the rabbit hole on AI need to stay present, signal alarms where necessary, and advise on how to remain healthy. For me, this means staying connected with friends and familiy, in the flesh. I just scheduled lunch with a friend. (Yes, exercise, eat well, drink plenty of water, sleep eight hours a day, blah, blah, blah.)
P.S. I did end up asking Claude to review this post and it said: “You could lean into why it's comparable or worse: social media exploited the need for validation, AI exploits the need for competence and relevance. That's a deeper hook.” Thanks, Claude 😒