(This post was originally posted by Stevie Dawson on the Coronation Street Blog in June 2013.)We all know it’s a tough life in Weatherfield but there seems to be a bit of an alcohol dependence gripping The Street. You’ll struggle to find one character in Friday’s episode that wasn’t glugging from a large glass, and more often than not polishing off the whole bottle.
It must be doing wonders for Italy’s grape industry, but what’s does it say about the lives of the characters and do these habits reflect the average British home?
According to recent research by University College London, reported on BBC News in February three quarters of us are drinking above the recommended daily alcohol limit. Eileen, Deirdre, Carla and the like would certainly back this data up. In recent years we’ve followed the alcoholism storyline played brilliantly by Chris Gascoyne and Alison King, and who can forget the side-splitting scenes at the AA meeting where Blanche and Diedre shocked Peter’s fellow addicts with a hilarious public airing of laundry?
There has always
been an undertone of alcohol being the glue that brings the Corrie community
together. The Rovers Return is not only the setting for a quiet lunchtime pint,
or wedding reception, or leaving party – it’s where the locals let off steam.
But in recent years, there’s been an increasing presence of empty bottles and
hangovers in the homes on our favourite northern street. As the UCL study would
suggest, this is reflective of our own lives. Most of us really do find a glass
of wine or a stiff whiskey helps us relax after a busy day at work. Sometimes
it’s force of habit rather than an odd treat. So do we really have a drink
problem in the UK, and can we blame our tipsy Coronation Street favourites for
encouraging this unhealthy habit?
The show, as with
all its storylines, approaches alcohol with a certain level of balance.
After an almighty booze-up, the offenders will always suffer the consequences.
Whether it’s Sunita Alahan being arrested for throwing shapes atop a Ford
Mondeo (other brands of motor vehicle are available) or Peter Barlow setting
fire to his flat, or even just the horrendous hangover that follows a night on
the tiles, the viewer is left in no doubt that the alcohol consumed during each
episode doesn’t come without terms and conditions.
So next time you
reach for the bottle, consider the consequences…
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