Home And Away Spoilers: Could This Be The Beginning Of The End For Irene?

This week on Home and Away, Irene succumbs to her demons and heads straight for her biggest kryptonite—alcohol—after years of maintaining a sober life.

Still tormented by remorse, Irene (Lynne McGranger) is isolating herself in her house from the outside world while the ramifications of her deeds with con artist Bronte (Stefanie Caccamo) rage through her mind.

Dana (Ally Harris), who was abducted by the con artists and imprisoned in a cargo container, nearly willfully bankrupted herself and the company she co-owns with her closest friend Leah (Ada Nicodemou)!

How could she have let Bronte to cover her eyes with wool so much?

“This has obviously completely gone down the drain with Bronte.”

When she doesn’t show up for work, a worried John (Shane Withington) finds her in bed. However, his attempt at consoling her ends up upsetting her, so she quickly pushes him out and hides a hidden cache of alcohol beneath the sink.

Irene pours herself a drink and swallows it, even if her gut tells her not to.

And just to be safe, one more after that.

Irene has formally abandoned ship.

According to Lynne, “she returns to alcohol because, as most alcoholics know, it’s an escape for her because of the shame and despair that she feels.”

After dropping a bottle, Irene enters the coffee cart, where Marilyn (Emily Symons) and Leah (a bewildered Leah) are startled to see her clumsily maneuvering around. Furthermore, it becomes evident to everyone in her vicinity that something is seriously wrong with Irene when she interrupts Dana and Xander (Luke Van Os) during their discussion regarding their relationship.

Despite having a concerning past of alcohol misuse, Irene has always recovered from it with the support of her friends. But this time, will Irene’s guilt over Bronte’s fraud prove to be too much to bear, or will it be the last straw that finally causes her to snap?