Peter, Carla, and Alcoholism. My Thoughts On This Toxic Trio. Can the Couple Survive It?

Firstly, let me set the record straight. I love Carla and Peter together. As a Corrie superfan, I've watched religiously since 1997 and both characters are legends of the shows modern history, that's undisputed! My fandom for these two fine actors is unwavering - long may they continue on Corrie!

However, Monday's episode brought my current thoughts on their storyline to the fore, and I need to commit to paper, or Corrie blog, which is the same thing. So, as a firm believer of a balanced debate, and as an ex boozer myself, I feel qualified to sit on a fence, or Maxine's bench, to ponder such a conundrum and offer my thoughts on the future of Carla and Peter. 

Nearly two years ago, I became teetotal from alcohol. No rehab, AA, detox, or hospitalization for me. However, to enact full sobriety, I had some toxic relationships to remove from my life as well. It's what Peter would have been taught in rehab, and this is something I can relate to when it comes to Peter's predicament. Alcohol is a poison and poisonous relationships usually go hand in hand with addiction and abuse. To free yourself from toxicity completely, well that's a big part of any recovery journey, and is essential, in most cases. It's a tricky predicament as you often love the person as much as you do the booze, however, it's just as damaging.  

Peter may have now stopped drinking but is Carla an addiction he needs to quit as well? Metaphorically speaking, you could argue he's been long addicted to the factory boss, and who can blame him! The sultry brunette beauty is a modern-day Elsie Tanner! However, it doesn't mean that the relationship is good for his recovery nor drying out.

In recent episodes, we have seen Peter struggle to put the pieces of a jigsaw together. As anybody will tell you when you stop drinking, you gain a lot of free time, and a jigsaw is a good bit of cognitive behavioural therapy that keeps the brain busy. I smiled as they introduced this on-screen, my CBT was a Corrie colouring book!

Is the jigsaw being used as a visual metaphor, for Peter putting his life back together, perhaps?  

Peter did seem distracted though by Carla's factory flirtation, and lest we forget that whilst he's trying to recover, Carla has slept with his nephew, been tempted by Lucas, and now lied to him about getting drunk with Jenny! 

It does seem like a rather toxic relationship. Can Peter put the pieces back together and still be with Carla, or will he find that there's a final piece that just won't fit? I'd hope not but for Peter to gain and keep sobriety, he has to remove the toxicity and at the minute, that looks like a Carla shaped piece in his life... 

What do you think? 

@rybazoxo your cobbles connossieur 

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Coronation Street Episode Review; Weds 13th Jan 7.30 & 8.30 pm

Happy 15th 16th Birthday to Adi & Asha Alahan! With 2021 offering no partying prospects whatsoever, Dad Dev has gone one better and renamed the corner shop in their honour! - as though ageing them by a year wasn't enough! So what do we make of this Cory then? Is Asha heading down the same path as her mother, is he the bad lad we all imagine he will be? I think the relationship with Nina is a better path for her. Some great scenes in Roy’s Roll’s tonight too. Roy educating us viewers with some Alexander Pope poetry (kudos to the writing team, of course). If a literary salve is ever needed - Cropper is your man! 

Putting Yasmeen’s paranoia or concern, aside, I think she may have a point about the lad’s coercive behaviour. Is this just a repeat of what has already been though, but for the younger generation?

Peter’s descent into a spiralling sobering depression and deliberate suicide continues and, aside from his threats to Adam, I’m surprised Carla claims to care upon finding out about the Do Not Resuscitate document. I think that is what it's called but legal parlance isn’t my thing. I am a fan of this new factory set and the usage for dramatic effect, but why are we not seeing the sewing machines?

Less concerning is the prison set set-up, I wonder if Jenny is best off out of it? Johnny’s decline aside, I’d much prefer to her behind the bar at The Rovers, wine in hand and dishing out witty put-downs to punters! Also, the pub backroom is playing far too much of a part in this Carla / Peter showdown. These two are just toxic now, aren’t they! I used to love these two together but she is pushing Peter to drink - it has to be game-over for the couple I’m afraid. The first part of recovery is to rid yourself of toxins, literal and physical, trust me-I know! The intervention from Jenny was needed, but Ken’s resignation at his drinking again, not so much. Addiction is tricky ground and is quite a raw subject, Corrie write it well though - they always have with the alcoholism story arc. We have yet to see family recovery. Can the Corrie writers take us through that? I would love this to be Peter’s final sobriety storyline concluding with his permanent abstinence, of course.

What is a rucksack? Well, if located in Coronation Street, you can bet it is part of a crime - probably! Tim wants his bag back from Gary, and yes that rucksack the one that Gary carried Faye’s weapon in. Instead of finding out from Faye though, DC Willets doorsteps Tim and tells him about the attack evidence. Can Tim work out his daughter’s involvement? He never noticed his Dad was a psycho, did he! The depth involved in this whodunnit is far weightier than the repercussions of the Adam and Carla tryst and involves more of a cast ensemble. I’d be unsure if this is a cast bubble due to the pandemic, but like the 60th demolition episode, I enjoy it when quite a few characters are involved in such storylines.

What are you thinking? Let us know in the comments! 

I am @rybazoxo your cobbles connoisseur!

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What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor? Peter’s relapse, Alcohol, and Me!

What shall we do with a drunken sailor? The old-time sea shanty (I assume) has long since reminded me of Peter Barlow’s long-time story arc and battles with alcohol abuse. Returning from Portsmouth during the live episode of 2000 (the street saved from greedy developers, I am saying nothing) actor Chris Gascoyne has cemented the role as his own, playing it with kudos, pathos, and with considerable talent. Alcoholism is an issue that's been portrayed in several continuing drama serials but for this Corrie fan, Peter’s storyline means more to me than most. 

It was April 2019 when Peter last relapsed, his struggles with Carla's disappearance and Simon’s sudden urge to drink whiskey pushed him over the edge. He told Ken ‘I haven't had a drink for 4 years, 7 months and 28 days to be precise - and last night I fell off the wagon’. That night was the 24th if I'm not mistaken. I remember it with such clarity, because the previous day, I'd stopped drinking too. Largely, and this isn't some sort of superfan coincidence, Corrie was my AA group and without me needing to attend one. I sat there glued to the screen, as Peter played Russian roulette with that bottle of whiskey and I knew what he was thinking. I knew what he was going to do. I had to stop. I had too. I wasn't going to relapse, and following Peter's journey, I remain superbly sober. That was 594 days ago. I'm very thankful to Corrie and Peter Barlow is undoubtedly one of my all-time favourite corrie characters. 

But what now for Peter? He's also been sober for the last 19 months, however, what with Abi's addiction, Oliver's fatal illness, and the fragmentation of his relationship with Carla, I guess something had to give. I am concerned though, as I really did think he would have an affair with Abi and not fall off the wagon (again). 

During Monday night's episodes, I was genuinely aghast as Peter sank a hip flask of booze following the mugging. No call to his AA sponsor, no panicked call to Carla, or even Ken? Nope, he just downed it. 

This is not looking good. Could this be Peter's last chance of sobriety...

What should we do with a drunken sailor? Not kill him off, hopefully. 

I am @rybazoxo your Corrie Connossiuer

This week is Alcohol Awareness Week, click the link for information, help, support, and guidance

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