I mentioned this in my own story - not sure where it is. It's under my member profile. Long and boring pointless story of CZAR or something like that...
But the thing that pressures you the most as time goes on is the feeling that it is never enough. They are always pushing for more, making you feel guilty for the things you didn't do. If you are going out on Saturday mornings, there will be a talk with a hint about going out on Sunday afternoons as well. Those who choose to go home after the meeting and watch the football game are perceived in official (if unspoken) doctrine as having less spirituality. If you go out on Saturday and Sunday, then they are wondering why you don't take a day off work and auxiliary pioneer. Then they want regular auxiliaring. But keep up your contributions! And then regular pioneer!
Most people are sucked in to this gradual increasing of the pressure into completely subsuming their lives to the organization's recruitment efforts.
You could pile up thousands of hours of "service" and then be completely disheartened by some jerk on the platform reading a scripture that says, "Probably you may be concealed in the day of Jehovah's anger." There is a sense that no matter how much you offer up, or how hard you are trying, it just might not be good enough for the Big Guy at Armageddon.
So one of the biggest sacrifices is the relationship with God. JW's are scared, unsure if they are good enough, and always tired of trying harder and harder. The constant slight pressure on their guilt pedal gets them revved up until they burn out completely. Dubs have traded a real, personal relationship with Somebody that I personally think is pretty cool, unassuming, and undemanding for an image created by the WT and its drones. This image is not one of a loving Heavenly Father, but some kind of warped Egyptian taskmaster, whipping his slaves into a frenzy of brickmaking and pyramid building - pointless efforts for someone else's all-too-human ego.
You can't ever completely satisfy the Egyptian slavedriver - the more you do, the more he makes. But God? The real God? He's a lot more relaxed and loving. A sense of humor. Likes to hear from you, just to say hi. Likes to see you imitating him in terms of love and compassion and humor and art and strength.
He made life, not because He wanted slaves, but because He wanted to spread the enormous Love he has. And that tolerant, wise, kind image of God is something that the dubs won't have as long as the WT keeps beating them.
CZAR