The Cycle of Abuse STOPS HERE!!!

I'm an abuser.  Make that a serial abuser.  I abuse and I abuse.  I hurt that which is good to me.  That... is my iPhone.  I'm now on my 6th iPhone.  I'm not even the guy that's first in line to buy the new phone.  I'm not even up to the iPhone 5 yet.  I have to get new phones because I abuse them.  Badly.  That cycle of abuse and destruction may finally be coming to an end.

I've tried all the cases.  I've tried otters, frogs and any other animal mascot designed by a company to make you think of safety and care for your phone.  Each case resulted in the same scenario:  busted phone.  Part of the problem is that most cases don't withstand the punishment I dole out.  The other part of the problem is that I'd (gasp) take my case off the phone for one reason or another.  Most of the time I'd remove the case because it was tough to get in and out of my pocket.  Other times the case wouldn't allow me to connect in a  cord so I could plug the phone into my car or headphones.  Whatever the reason, my phone seemed to know it was free from restraints and would go jumping out of my hand.  Busted phone.

With each damaged phone my wife's criticism got louder and lasted longer.  She couldn't comprehend how I could break another phone while she still uses the exact same IPhone she bought five years ago.  I'm just clumsy.  She's not.  And she lets me know that every chance she gets.  I've broken three different phones, repaired the screen on another phone THREE TIMES and I even had a brand new iPhone stolen from me after I forgot it on the pump at the gas station for no more than ten minutes.

The same phone I've repaired three different times finally kicked the bucket after the camera stopped working.  I can handle a cracked screen, but I need that phone for work, for family, and for sending inappropriate pictures to co-workers.  My trip to the AT&T store showed me something glorious and magnificent:  a new Otterbox case that could be run over by a 2-ton truck, dropped from ten feet off the ground and even fully submerged in water for 30 minutes.  SCORE!!!  The playing field is once again level.

While it's true that my phone now weighs 10 pounds and is bulkier than ever, the material on the outer shell of the case is smooth and comes in & out of the pocket easier than previous Otterbox models.  I'm hoping this case will put an end to spending hundreds of dollars every year on replacing and repairing phones.  The case cost $100, which is as much as the phone itself.  If it allows me to keep this same phone until my next upgrade it will be money well spent.

Surely I'm not the only person out there that abuses their phone.  Comment below with your own personal phone destruction story.  Make me feel better about my track record with phones.  Has anybody gone through more than five IPhones?  Ten IPhones?