[Publib] addicted to reading?

[Elizabeth Thorson]

I think Mark was speaking tongue-in-cheek about his "reading addiction", but in all seriousness, I believe reading can be an addiction, like anything else.

Someone I know and love has lost two jobs because he kept leaving work to go to the library, or to finish reading a book at the coffee shop, or to hit the sale at his favorite local bookstore. He has gotten divorced, in part because his wife could not agree with the amount of money, time and space devoted to books. He routinely has 150+ books checked out from his local library and spends pretty much all his time reading.

He bought a condo after the divorce and filled it with bookshelves. He had to be reminded that his daughter would need room for her bed, and there was some question about whether she would have to sleep on a folding cot between the shelves. He has gotten almost violent when pushed to curtail his reading or collecting. He is near bankruptcy.

This is where a love of reading, an addictive personality and a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder collide. It's not pretty.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Cuckow Thorson
Manager, Reference and Technical Services
Laramie County Library System
2800 Central Ave., Cheyenne WY 82001
www.LCLSonline.org, ethorson at LCLSonline.org
307-634-3561 ext. 141
Mon-Thurs 10 am-9 pm, Fri-Sat 10 am-6 pm, Sun 1-5 pm