My first couple of weeks sober I tried to rack my brain for what I used to do before alcohol was my hobby.

What had those teenage days been filled with? Obviously as a kid you’re going to school–but what had a spent my afternoons doing?  It was honestly the last time I had been sober–18–and now in my 30’s I needed to figure out activities that didn’t involve alcohol at all, especially in those first few months of sobriety.

I also had very little money. Again, an interesting parallel to being 18. Sober and broke.

But what had me so hopeful at 18 that I’d lost somewhere in my 20’s and early 30’s?

Maybe it was the hope of the future. The unknown. I don’t know–but I wanted to get back to that feeling.

Then I remembered a place I would always go after school–a place that felt sacred, special, quiet, and full of possibility.

The Library.

Yes! The Library!

A place where everything was free!

Free wi-fi!

Free books, DVD’s & CD’s (well, free as long as you returned them on time….)

And in addition to it housing all kinds of free items to rekindle my spirit, it was a QUIET place. A place I could go and hide for a few hours–feeling not only like I’d gotten out of my house (a reason I often frequented bars was I felt stir crazy) but also like I’d gotten something (ie. checked out a few books or media items).

And they were open relatively ‘late’, all the way until 8pm most times. Okay, Okay, I get it…that’s not very late for most of us here in Vegas, but at least it was open after dark unlike most alcohol free places…

So this post is a love letter to the library as a place of refuge for the sober–thank you to libraries everywhere for providing a place to spend an hour or two out of the house, coming home with shiny new books to read or movies to watch. Thank you libraries!

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One library I’ve visited a few times here in Las Vegas is the Rainbow Library on the Northwest side of town.

A few pictures for your enjoyment:

The Non-Fiction area at the Rainbow Library location is pretty robust…great reading for all you fellow nerds out there. And gotta love that Vegas touch–a neon sign…

If you do have a couple bucks burning a hole in your pocket, they do have a little used book ‘store’ section that is well kept.

They also have a really good DVD selection–TV Shows, Movies, Foreign Films, Documentaries, Fitness DVD’s, Educational DVD’s–this library has one of my favorite selections of DVD’s in the LV area.

Lastly, I’m posting their ‘Programs’ Board because the staff here does a great job keeping it up to date with all the free classes, performances, and seminars that the LVCCLD offers.

Happy reading sober friends!