The drugs don’t work!
As Corrie’s Billy struggles with addiction this week, he’s not the only one whose high hit a low...
CRACKING ON
PHIL MITCHELL 2010 Getting high… Walford’s Phil hit rock bottom after his ex Lisa Fowler fled the country with his daughter, Louise. Already an alcoholic, Phil hooked up with drug addict Rainie Cross, and the pair started getting high together on crack cocaine. Sinking low… Phil’s mum Peggy found him crawling on the floor upstairs at the Vic in search of his stash. Disgusted by the sight of him, she locked him in the living room to stop him getting any more drugs. But Phil escaped – and during a shock confrontation with Peggy, he set the boozer on fire!
Clean break… With her pub in ruins and realising her part in Phil’s downfall, Peggy left Albert Square and Phil got his life back on track.
OVER THE PARTY’S
LEANNE BATTERSBY 2000
Getting high… Corrie’s fun-loving Leanne started taking cocaine, and soon got into debt with drug dealer
Jez Quigley. To settle up, Leanne was forced to sleep with the slimeball.
Sinking low… Leanne agreed to help Jez rob the Rovers on New Year’s Day, but she got cold feet and the job ended up going dramatically wrong – landing her in hospital after a nasty run-in with one of gangster Jez’s thugs.
Clean break… With Jez putting the frighteners on Leanne, she did a runner from Weatherfield to Amsterdam. Thankfully, when viewers saw her a few years later, the lass had put her drug-taking days behind her.
GAIN NO PAIN, NO
SHARON MITCHELL 2012
Getting high… Long-time viewers of Eastenders will recall that Sharon grew up with an alcoholic mum in Angie. Years later, Sharon battled her own addiction to painkillers, which she started taking after the murder of her husband, Dennis Rickman.
Sinking low… While babysitting Phil’s granddaughter Lexi, Sharon fell to the floor unconscious – leaving the little girl in peril and jeopardising Phil’s chances of keeping Lexi in his life. Fellow addict Phil surprisingly had no sympathy for Sharon and decided to send her packing.
Clean break… Sharon’s collapse gave her a muchneeded wake-up call. After realising that she was in a terrible downward spiral, she decided that it was time for her to seek help for her problems.
SPINNING AROUND
KYLIE PLATT 2014
Getting high… The
Street’s Kylie got hooked on her son Max’s ADHD pills to calm her down – and as her addiction took hold, she turned to her drug dealer ex Callum Logan!
Sinking low… Kylie stole, cheated and lied – and would do anything to get more drugs. David threw her out after seeing her accept speed from Callum.
Clean break… Kylie got herself back on track and made a return to Weatherfield five months later, determined to win back the family she’d lost.
A BITTER PILL
RHONA GOSKIRK 2013 Getting high… Village vet Rhona got hooked on painkillers after injuring her back while giving best friend Vanessa a playful piggyback! Sinking low… Rhona broke into the vets’ to get meds, then seduced fellow vet Vanessa and convinced her to help her get more drugs. She later turned violent, and attacked hubby Paddy when he tried to stop her meeting a dealer. Clean break… Rhona was rushed to hospital after collapsing, and was told her kidneys were about to shut down. Realising she was close to death, Rhona saw sense and agreed to go to rehab.
OR NO DEAL? DEAL
STE HAY 2013
Getting high… Ste started out dealing drugs – but switched to taking them following the deaths of both his parents.
Sinking low… Ste worked hard to kick the habit – only to be dragged back down when his brother-in-law Cameron got him hooked on meth!
Clean break… Tony paid for Ste to go to rehab – but he still finds himself tempted when life gets tough…
OVER AND OUT
HOLLY BARTON 2016 Getting high… Dales lass Holly vowed shun drugs after a brush with death as a teen. But on her return to the Dales in 2016, she was in huge debt to dealer Dean.
Sinking low… Holly’s new dealer Simon set up a robbery to help settle her debts, but it went wrong when Holly’s friend Victoria was attacked in the chaos – and Holly crashed the van! There was another wake-up call, too, after Holly’s mum Moira stepped on a drugs needle while confronting Simon and feared that she’d contracted HIV. Clean break… Holly planned a fresh start – but it wasn’t to be, as Moira found Holly dead with a used heroin wrapper beneath her bed.