I am a y2k junkie. I come to this forum for several reasons. One reason is to get a fix. Yes, a fix.

Before I explain my addiction let me point out that there is a rational side to my life. I have been a successful business owner for 25 years. I have six successful business partnerships which I created and where I make my income. I am a GI and am preparing for an 9/10 but expect a 5/6. I am spending a lot to prepare. I have a technical background and have spent a lot of time communicating with technical types to get more data on y2k. Despite this, I am a junkie.

I don't need any more data to convince me to prepare. I not only get it. I got it long ago. However, I still come to this site, spend an hour or so and get some kind of satisfaction or relief. That alone does not make me a junkie.

However, when I am away from the net or sites like this for a while a need develops. It builds like the need for coffee. I come to the forum, read and post, and feel better. Its the need that has some control over me. It is the need that makes me a junkie.

I have a sister and wife who, after finding out about y2k, started preparing and never need to come to a forum. Why, they ask me, do you keep going back to those forums? They don't have the need. I do. They are not addictive personalities. I am.

A few threads back someone asked it there were any "true believers" out there on this forum. I thought about it and felt that the folks on this forum are not true believers. To the contrary, most are skeptics. But I wondered, are there other y2k junkies out there like me.

What is my "junkie" litmus test. Simple: Do I spend time on these forums that significantly distracts from my preparations? For me, the answer is yes.

If there are other junkies like me I would like to hear from you if only to share in a way that might be of mutual help.

-- Junkie (junkie@fix.com), March 17, 1999

Answers

I know what you mean.

I come here for information. Also because there's a far wider spectrum of people here than I know in real life. And finally, because it's nice to talk sometimes to people who also GI, since I don't know *any* in real life.

--Leo

-- Leo (lchampion@ozemail.com.au), March 17, 1999.

I come to this forum and try to read many posts a day. I feel like I get the most up to date news here. I, for some reason, really crave the information I get here. I am heavily preparing but I like to know that I am on the right track. I keep wanting to hear something to convince me not to spend the money but alas I can't find reason not to spend it. Everyday I am becoming more and more convinced that I am not crazy and I am doing the right thing. I also read the "GN is a big fat idiot" everyday to keep a balance. For me, reading this forum reminds me and motivates me.

-- a mom (need support@help.com), March 17, 1999.

Hi, my name is Chris, and I'm a Yourdonaholic.

I'm a GI since last summer, and preparing for the worse is my mission in life.

What I'm addicted to and keeps me coming back everyday is the level of concentrated intelligence, wisdom and breadth of topics on this forum. I learn something interesting everyday, about everything in life, not just Y2K. I've never had this much intellectual stimulation in one place before, neither at work nor with neighbors or family and friends. And like Leo, I have no GI outside of here to talk to.

I don't feel the need to get rid of this addiction permanently. Only once in a while I feel I need a break to regain perspective.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), March 17, 1999.

Dear Junkie, You are not alone in the least. Everyday I come here to get some sort of understanding because I have no one besides my husband (who is an OTR truck driver) to talk to about any of this. Everyone thinks I am crazy. So I come here just to know if I am or not. Well this past week I realized how dependent on this BB that I really was. See I had company over the entire week and I could not come here to get my "fix". I couldn't come here because my company would stand behind me and read everything I would do on the computer. They definitly DON'T get it. So if they saw me here that would just give them more to laugh and ridicule me about. So here I am, I am back!!! and I feel soooooo much better now. wheeeeeeew what a loooooong week. Oh, the company was my mother-in-law who, if she would only GI, could be alot of help because she lived through the depression.

-- shellie (shellie01@hotmail.com), March 17, 1999.

I have been a Yourdonite Junkie for a very long time (1-1/2 years). Is there any place I can for a Yourdetoxification (new word) when this is all over with? Hmmmmm, could be a whole new business venture...Bardou

-- Bardou (Bardou@baloney.com), March 17, 1999.

I get my "fix" every evening at http://www.kiyoinc.com/y2kchat.html from roughly 9:30pm to 8:30pm EST. This y2k chat room was kindly resurrected by Cory Hamasaki after it suddenly went DOA recently on Rich Gearity's year 2000 site. And when the conversations subside there and the need to come down is overwhelming, I switch to here for a gentle send off into the good night.

-- desperate (need a fix@aaaaahthatwasgood.com), March 18, 1999.

Welcome back Shellie!

Junkie,

I too am self employed, I have been a community leader most of my adult life. I have never spent this much time in any internet forum, computers to me are a tool, 'do the work and for goodness sake get away as fast as you can & live life it's a big beautiful world out there!' is pretty much my attitude.

I come here to keep myself from becoming complacent. The fact is without my dose of doom, I would have a difficult time staying motivated. It would be so easy to let the evening news tell me everything will be okay. I want to live life & forget y2k, but I am realistic enough to know it's not going away & to recognize my weakness. This is not the only place I search for y2k news, but the community of like minded individuals exchanging views here helps me to confirm that 'I am not the only one who had that thought when I read that'. The exchange of preparation advice & ideas is invaluable. Belive it or not, the few GI's I know, are GI's because of me, they now look to me for preparation advice and current y2k news. I in turn, return here to listen to those who came before me, who have experienced the struggles which I now face.

The atmosphere here ebbs & flows, sometimes this place seems to be like a very disfunctional family I stumbled upon, and then all of the sudden it is like a well oiled machine, people working together bringing bits & pieces to form a whole.

Thanks for reminding me to be thankful for this place, I was starting to get annoyed, and I'm afraid my attitude has reflected that. Sorry to all. The y2k issue has increased my tendencies to be moody. I wish I had met you all under better circumstances.

Peace

-- Deborah, who is a square peg and is quite used to it (infowars@yahoo.com), March 18, 1999.

You all just need to "get a little" (")

-- Answer Man (relieves stress@cozy.com), March 18, 1999.

Nothing removes the need to be honest with ourselves.

For example, I woke up at 2 a.m., thought "Oh good, I'll get a lot done and not have to make excuses for tomorrow's work not being ready for a client." Now it's 3:40 a.m., I've been online the whole time, and I'm thinking of going back to sleep. (Not that you all put me to sleep -- au contraire -- just weird sleep rhythms lately.)

Honest means not having those excuses going through my head "It's OK, I'm checking on any new y2k developments." Honest is, "I'll do the work first, then check the forum if there's time."

The fact is: 1) I'm not happy having to work (I'd rather play, study, learn.) 2) I'm not happy with the work I do (burnout, boredom, futility -- at times, satisfaction of recognition of my professional skills) 3) I haven't allowed myself to develop intellectual and emotional friendships to match my needs. This forum is a convenient bridge to little bits of that each day, but no replacement.

Obsessive-compulsive disorders coming in form of mild addictions. (I should ask my daughter, the psych grad.) Our brains are wired for habit, regularity, expectation, high-stimulation, mild addiction. We seek what we need and find lacking in our other lives. My addiction last fall was Yahoo's backgammon/chat scene. (Forgive me if I lead another into that temptation.) We were just in process of buying/selling/moving to our "y2k farm". Working two jobs and a home move. No wonder I needed escape!

y2k both stimulates and depresses. The cycles became familiar. I hope you've had some "away" times from this forum to get some perspective on it, and integrate it into the rest of your life. It's happened to me over my two months here. (Wasn't early February a BRILLIANT time in Yourdon-land? Seems more passable now.)

Don't be apologetic! This is essential stuff and not off-topic at all. In fact the psychological dimension (requiring community nurturing, venting, comforting, encouraging) of preparation is extra- important as we consider the breakdown of social systems we have internalized all our lives.

We will be more effective preparers (and community helpers) for all we have done and shared here. (And it all began with just a little addiction.)

-- jor-el (jor-el@krypton.com), March 18, 1999.

I tried to quit cold turkey last week. I thought that announcing it with a little fanfare (like anyone gives a shit!@#?) would help my resolve to keep off the forum and focus on preparation. Clearly didn't work at all. I was even posting under fake names for a few days, hoping no one would notice I was back on/off? the wagon. Oh well. One day at a time.

-- humpty (no.6@thevillage.com), March 18, 1999.

Hey, I know you, you were AdeiosAmeigos@bye.com, or was that someone else saying goodbye but couldn't?

-- addict (addict@addict.com), March 18, 1999.