Please note: This page is intended as a bit of light relief for devotees of the Wikipedia. It is in no way intended to show disrespect for 12-step programs or to those people genuinely suffering from addictions who have found solace and recovery in such programmes.
Wikipediholics Anonymous (WA) is a program created to help Wikipediholics to come to turn with who they truly are, for recognition of Wikipediholism in oneself can be quite healthy.
Those who have confessed publically to WA are:
- Hello, mon nom est 24, et je suis un wikipediholique. I redirected "fun" to "wikipedia" within a week of getting here, and when someone redirected it to "recreation" I realized my conception of "fun" had been somewhat damaged.
- Helloo, my name is Greg, and I am an IRCaholic[?]... whoops, wrong room.
- Hello, my name is Manning and I am a wikipediholic. Proof? I'm jetlagged, it's 3AM, I'm not even awake but I'm sitting here typing away... *sad*
- Hello, my name Bryan, and I am a wikipediholic. I also compulsively link dates.
- Hello, my name is Bignose, and I have undiagnosed wikipediholism, even more tragic because I was suspected of it after less than 24 hours here. I agonise over the correct way to represent dates in articles. ( "Undiagnosed"??? Hmmmm... MB)
- Okay, I confess... my name is Simon[?] and I am a wikipediholic.
- Hello, my name is Larry, and I...OK, gosh...golly, OK here goes. I am a...a...wikipediholic. (See, I just made that word bold.) I admit it, I compulsively...you know...copyedit. I also redirect pages. Sometimes I even...write content. (a startled murmur from the crowd, audible whispers of "we understand, Larry, it's OK, Larry, be strong, Larry...")
- Hello, my name is R.J., and I am a wikipediholic. I find myself trying to wikify all my word-processing and email, and crying out in frustration when it's not possible.
- Hello, my name is Lee, and I have an insatiable compulsion to change "/talk" into "/Talk", to add spaces to initials and periods to U.S., and take commas outside of quotation marks when they don't belong. I shake visibly upon seeing "more then..." or an incorrect "it's". At last, there's a place where my condition can find a healthy outlet and practical use. (Their, their, its OK... )
- My name is Michel, but I don't belong here. I am not a wikipediholic. I can stop any time I want to...
- I'm WP and I can't help checking Recent Changes 30 times a day
- Hello, my name is The Cunctator, and I'm a wikipediholic. And people seem to hate me.
- Hello, my name is Jimbo Wales, and I'm a wikipediholic. And I'm one of the people who seems to hate Cunctator, but I don't really. :-)
- My name is Taw and I'm a wikipediholic. (If somebody thinks that I'm cured, because I contribute less than before - I mostly abuse the Polish Wikipedia now :))
- Hi all, my name is Mathijs, I'm 35 yrs, married, three kids, I've got a good job in the Dutch National Health Service, with a permanent connection, I've twice had a row with LMS, I've been denounced as a troll and a bigot, but I can't help being a wikipediholic.
- Hi, my name is David, and I'm a wikipediholic. I scored 54 on the test, which means you should all be afraid. :-)
- Now I'm worried. I started the wikipediholics page, but I wasn't convinced I was one until last night when I dreamt of talking with Larry in person about the Wikipedia...--AstroNomer
- user:Chuck Smith - anyone who starts a Wikipedia in a language that is not his native deserves to be here... and I called Jimbo today... 'nuff said!
- user:Anthere - "Mais que diable allait-elle faire dans cette galère?"
- Hi, my name is A.D.Danilecki and I am a wikipediholic.
- Hi, my name is Ed and I'm a Wikipediholic. I tried to stay away, I deleted my bookmarks, but the thoughts kept coming back. I would wake up at night, thinking of phrases to insert into articles. I even started doing off-line edits. I admit that I was powerless over my addiction and I pray to my Higher Power for deliverance, but not yet, please!. -- Ed Poor
- You know you are a wikipediholic when you fall asleep at your keyboard and the first thing you do upon waking is check that damn "Recent Changes" page. It just won't go away! maveric149 (his other claim to fame is he has the only user page to make the most popular page list! - today, July 8, 2002, he's just above Linda Lovelace and just below Clitoris.)
- My name is Calypso and me too I confess I am a wikipediholic. I was a bit worried, but now that I see that I am in good company I feel much better. In Spanish there is a proverb that says "Mal de muchos, consuelo de tontos", which translates loosely into "It is foolish to be consoled upon seeing that many others share your woes".
- User:sodium is trying to wean himself off with drugs and alcohol...
- matusz
- I'm Eclecticology and I'm a wikipediholic. To make it worse I can't stick to just one subject area at a time.
- Yes, I admit. I have a bad case of Wikipediholism. I might well average over 100 edits a day (although to my defense I would like to say that most are just the cleaning up of redirects to disambiguation pages - check out Wikipedia:Disambiguation pages with links, more help is much appreciated) Andre Engels
- My name is Ram-Man and I am a Wikipediholic. I've created approximately 35,000 articles on counties and cities. I feel an uncany urge to make more articles.
- Finally, a forum where I can share my shameful and embarassing addiction. --Dante Alighieri
- Hi, my name is Qaz. I am a little scared to be here or to say anything. I am just repeating to myself what Stuart Smiley said, "Fear is a darkroom where negatives are developed." I know I need help. Whenever I hear something particularly witty, insightful or profound I immediately wonder if it is in the public domain, and if it is not, I think of ways to get it to be. I hope I can be as strong as some of the people I have seen here tonight. (Sits back down nervously)
- Hi I am Youssefsan. Does shiné[?] help ? Yes it is a short introduction, but I will update it. 68 points (15 feb 2003). Did I cheat or need I to recount again ?
- Hi, my name is Montréalais, and I am a wikipediholic. I have been known to surf from article to article, clicking the first unused link in each article, seeing how far I get. I have written articles on Canadian provinces, constellations, and Queer culture. I have a Talk archive and a list of my articles. When I went to New York and Toronto on vacation, one of my main thoughts (immediately below "Take pictures for my website! (http://www.metrodemontreal.com)") was "Take pictures for Wikipedia!" Now I know I need help.
- Hi, my name is Athymik, and i am wikipediholic... I got 94... What can I do ? How can I escape ?
- I'm Tannin and I'm taking the Fifth!
- Hi, my name is Arwel, and I'm a wikipediholic.... but I can stop anytime, honest -- there are 51 denominations of pre-decimal British coinage and I've only written articles on 21 of them (so far!). What self-control!!
- Hello, my name is Geoffrey, and I am a Wikipediholic. I got a 74/261 on the test, as stated on my user page. No, I can't quit anytime I like...unless the entire Wikipedia degenerates into arguments and metadiscussions and I find another website to be addicted to...
- Hi, my name is Stan, and I am a Wikipediholic - yesterday I bought a cover mailed from the USS Seattle in 1923, for the sole purpose of adding a scan of it to the article. I think about downloading the whole database so I can do analysis of its structure.
- Hello, my name is Astudent[?], and I am a Wikipediholic... not that there's anything wrong with that (Seinfeld).
- Hello, my name is Nanobug, and I only scored 40 on the test, so I'm not really a Wikipediholic, no, really, I'm not. I have an irresistable urge to put all the documents in my office in to an office-wide Wiki but I'm worried that none of my colleagues would ever edit them there. I have a bookmark folder of all the other Wikis (e.g. WikiWiki), and all the Wiki engines I can find. I can't understand why all my friends and workmates, whom I have told about Wikipedia, don't start editing the Wikipedia also. What possible reason could they have?
- Hi, my name is Jim, and I'm a wikipediholic. 4000 plus edits between Feb 27 and June 12 2003, and I have a job and I'm married. Sad or what?
- Yep, Ilyanep is a wikipediholic! (Me). With almost 500 edits after one month, plus 122 on the wikipediholic test...I'm a wikipediholic!
- I, uh, am Menchi. I knew that WP is an attractive place at the beginning and have semi-privately noted that I have Wikipediholism after the test. But, I just don't want to confess publically and officially here until now, I didn't want to become one of you! But alas, I am! I am! Well, at least I've been for half a year. Maybe my Wikipediholism will stop, and maybe it will tomorrow! Yep, I dream weird stuff. Until then, I am one of you. --Menchi 02:39 1 Jul 2003 (UTC)
Sadly, the WA programme has yet not managed to help a number of victims.
Suspected, but not admitted, Wikipediholics include:
- Tim -- I merely have a higher tolerance for editing than most people. (But thanks for your concern. :-)
- Pinkunicorn (I can quit anytime I like)
- Stephen Gilbert - "I don't have a problem, and there's nothing you sick rat bastards can say to change that!"
- GWO[?] - I took a break recently due to work commitments, but I appear to have relapsed...
- AxelBoldt - People keep telling me about these self help groups, but I don't have time for stuff like that.
- Koyaanis Qatsi - "My Wikipediaholism was at its worse in June and July, but lately--with grad school and two jobs--I just haven't had the time...." (various murmurs) "....Still, I think about steering my work towards subjects that can make wikipedia entries." (gasps, "oh no"s, "be strong")
- sjc - "It's just that I prefer it to drink, drugs, vice and gambling. I just don't have time for any of those anymore."
- mike dill[?] - "I actually stayed away from the changes page for a day this week, I'm probably not a Wikipediholic."
- --Kpjas here 'holic of Wikipedia kind.
- Malcolm Farmer - "I just do a few pages now and then, just to relax"
- TwoOneTwo - its not an addiction I've just promised to do 1% of all Wikipedia articles. And I'm ahead of schedule.
- Karen Johnson - I'm not addicted! I can give it up any time I like... honest I can... after I finish the complete listing of cat pages AND the complete catalogue of South American bumblebees AND crosslink every reference to 'recipe' in the entire wikipedia and... oh no! My ISP says I've been online for the last 48 hours straight and connected to the 'pedia for the whole time... they're threatening to cut off my access if I don't give them a special credit on my userpage :)
- Daniel MacKay writes: what Karen said.
- 203.83.73.98[?] I...I...>sobs<
- I am neither denying nor confirming that I am a Wikipediholic. If accused of such, I will demand my rights according to the protections the Fourteenth Amendedment[?] would provide under the US constitution. (And yeah; I am aware they don't probably apply to a foreigner ;) -- Cimon Avaro on a pogo stick 23:57 26 Jun 2003 (UTC)
And many more... perhaps all those on the list of Wikipedia:Most active Wikipedians. But that's merely a suspicion, not witch-hunt, for all those suspected and confessed are not considered to have employed black magic or have it employed onto them to create Wikipediholism.
There are also those who refuse to be Wikipediholics: Wikipedia:Wikipediholics in denial. WA has not given its hope on those yet.