Slivers,
Generally speaking, and I know that when we speak generally, we can sometimes get into trouble, and I'm not meaning anything bad against those who HAVE changed their names, but from what I have seen and from the ones who I know have changed their names, it seems that the powerhouses of knowledge are generally not the ones who change their names... it's usually ones who either continuously slipped and relapsed, perhaps because they weren't ready to quit, and then when they really were, they came back as somebody new as a way to start over fresh. Or they weren't really involved... perhaps they posted a few times and then slipped/relapsed and then changed their name. Because they didn't post much, they didn't have any strong ties with anybody, so it didn't matter that they changed their names. The third category I see a lot is those who only posted to themselves... never really offered a hand to others. In fact, of the people who I know who have changed their names, this is the most common. The last category, and the one that I fit in, is that my original name on this site was pam061705 - the day I quit. I didn't like having the date I quit attached to my name, since I knew that there was a possibility that I might slip (ok, yes, I was being synical and pestimistic, and yes, it did in fact happen), so I changed my name so that the date I quit wouldn't be tied to my name... but I let everybody know who I was. I didn't just disapear and then come back as a different identity. But, oftentimes, it's not just one of these categories above either... they might fit into more than one.
The people who post a lot to others and seem like they spend forever here and really try to do as much good as they can, don't change their names if they slip or relapse... they've made too many connections as themselves and since they have made so many friends, they want their friends to see them progress.
Again, this is all from my observations, having been on this site for over a year and a half now. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule and I know that I don't know everybody who's changed their names, but from the knowledge that I have about those who have, this seems to be the trend.
So, I guess what I'm saying is post often, help as many people as yo