When Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) gives in to the lure of drugs to attempt and deal with his terrible rape ordeal, he will find himself in serious danger on EastEnders.
The neighbourhood mechanic has been incredibly, and understandably, struggling, and as a result, he has broken down.
It soon becomes clear that James’ influence will push Ben even further over the line when he runs across a friend from his past.
After running into Ben at the Arches, where he is a client, Ben subsequently gets into a heated argument with Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), accidentally punching her. Ben then fails to make amends when she begs him to get help, and his apology falls flat.
Ben has nowhere to turn because Phil (Steve McFadden) is too busy, but when he runs into James, he decides to go out for a drink.
Ben accepts James’ offer and takes the drugs he has offered after he brings him to The Arches, where they start kissing.
When Kheerat Panesar (Jaz Keol) enters The Arches, Ben tries to hide, hides the narcotics, and dismisses Kheerat’s worries.
Ben’s high, however, is quickly revealed to Kathy and Phil in a subsequent outburst of distress.
Ben is severely disintegrating as a result of his agonising about his rape experience, his grief at losing Callum, and his eventual admission to the Panesars that he killed Jags.
And turning to medications constantly to ease the pain will only make matters worse…
