Redmayne

In the aftermath of the recent Scottish Referendum, here in the UK, providing the people of Scotland with the opportunity to vote for independence from the UK.

With all its political hype, before and after, with all the attendant hype and accusations of untruths, attempted manipulation of voters and plain old 'dirty tricks', to a greater or lesser on both sides.

The one thing the politicians, the supporters and all the other 'experts' paraded before us by the media missed, perhaps because they were swept up in their own self importance, this being described as a 'once in a lifetime' event.

Was the fact that, this being a referendum,which didn't refer to, although it was instigated by, one political party or politician it referred to individual people and their own views, choice and vote, as regards whether or not, Scotland remained as part of the Union of the United Kingdom.

Which, in recovery, made me ask myself, who votes for me and my sobriety The obvious answer, being as there's only one member of the electorate, me!

Enhanced by the fact that, like the individual people of Scotland my views, choice and vote, as to whether or not I wanted to continue my life as a hopeless, hapless drunk, who would die of my disease/illness of alcoholism, whilst losing everything else along the way or whether I, as an individual, wanted to gain my own independence in recovery, followed by sobriety. Which would lead me to leading a life, in the sunlit uplands' as Winston Churchill, once said or face the alternative.

All this may seem pretty obvious, but you see, when I first got sober there was a degree of apprehension, perhaps even fear about it all. Similar fears arose during and after the, not the results of the referendum were announced. For interested parties, the 'No, we're better together' thereby voting to stay in the UK, took by far the highest percentage of the vote.


Then I realised, just like the population of Scotland for a time before, during and after my recovery and eventual sobriety I to had suffered at the hands of people, not necessarily alcoholics or those in recovery, but others who very often knew nothing or little about alcohol and even less about alcoholism. Who, often, but not always, driven by their own self importance had subjected me to their 'hype', manipulation and 'dirty trick', whilst totally oblivious of the fact that there was only one person who voted for me and my sobriety, not least as no one else could do it for me. Like the individual voters in Scotland, when they entered the polling booth and picked up the pencil, me!

As an alternative, all this may be viewed, in an altruistic manner, with others sharing their experience, strength and hope. It doesn't like the voters of Scotland on the day of the referendum get away from the fact that it was their choice as individuals, a point missed by all those politicos and professionals, who were no more than just onlookers on the day!

Just as no one else, in a meaningful way, can vote for me or my sobriety, it then follows, which then disavows them the manner in which I conduct it, said simply in the sense that how I then choose to conduct my life, provided it's not pursued in an antisocial manner, involving my harming others or myself. Is something else they can't vote on...

Redmayne

Just to make myself clear, I would ask when I ask,'Who votes for me, etc?' It's said in the rhetorical sense,rather than in my seeking any sort of popularity, simply to make the point that recovery and sobriety are matters for the individual.