This week’s Sasha meets the award winning UK writer Louisa young, who’s book You Left Early accounts her relationship with Robert Lockhart, an extremely talented and prolific composer from Wigan, who battled with alcohol addiction throughout his life. 

 Loving an addict can be incredibly difficult thing to do. It's a relationship that is often rampant with deceit & disappointment, and sadly more often that not, the addiction comes out on top. Louisa is a hugely empathetic person, and this is extremely prevalent in how she views addiction and the addict themselves. “The thing about an addict is, it may not be their fault that they’re and addict. I don’t believe it is their fault. They didn’t ask for the particular set-up of genes and experience and psychology, and everything that adds up to a person being addictive.” Louisa and Robert both struggled through the addiction and with an incredible amount of hard work, he was able to take command of his sobriety. 

Although sober, years of heavy alcohol abuse had left robert extremely ill. He was diagnosed with throat cancer, and managed to survive it. “He really suffered but he was a very battered but gallant, marvelous man.Then after all that, and all those things which could have killed him, he actually died by accident.” Their love story is one that seems desperately unfair, and Louisa speaks about this in great detail during the interview. She also puts a huge emphasis on how although Robert is no longer living, she does still consider him a huge part of her life presently. ‘I miss him everyday. I am incredibly happy not to be living with alcoholism in my everyday life. Even an alcoholic in recovery, it’s still a very hard full time job, both for the addict and for the people closest to them”

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Music by: Nctrnm

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