News Ben Cousins in the news again. 10 years on and it still continues. (2016 edition)

[happy_eagle]

I thought that all drugs just made you really good at football.
/MikeSheehan

 

[Seadog]

Ok here's the deal, Ben is one of our favourite sons agreed. However he is continually tarnishing our Club with his behaviour and I'm done with it. If nothing is done about it and he kills someone I will be the first in here to say to the "Leave Ben Alone" crowd that I told you so !

No deal Andrew.

 

[Cuzdup]

He does some cool things. Directs traffic, stalks mosques, breaks into SAS camp, give it legs from fat coppa's, swims the freezing swan river and thats just the tip of the ice berg. I mean condense it all and you have a seriously sick action flick.....he might be a spy or secret agent.

In all seriousness it's a big concern and feel for him and his family badly. Get well Cuz

 

[MKMatty]

Considering I idolised Cuz as a kid, to the point of defending him to anyone that spoke s**t about him in 2007, it's really hard seeing him like this. The worst part is his off field discretions have murkied his on field heroics. Things he should genuinely be recognised for have all but been forgotten because he's a bad seed the minute he's off the footy field.

I honestly think he's past the point of return, and can only hope he gets enough help to keep himself alive and relatively out of harms way for longer than the next 5-10 years. Guys in a bad way and I'm not sure if they're are any untouched avenues for him to go down and get himself better.

 

[dave123]

Not in solitary.

You can't do that

As an addiction counsellor you'd be amazed at the folk I meet ...they are normal people

Criminalising the drug problem has failed in every single country on earth. We need to see this as health,social and wellbeing issue. Spain and Portugal are doing this at the moment and from reports I've read it's working

 

[dave123]

Who's saying "leave Ben alone?"
Most people I talk to about him or on here seem to be wanting him to get some professional help (as in drug rehab or psychologist, not jail).

Saying lock him up and put him in solitary is the absolute worst thing you could do.

Yes this

I have spoken with a judge where I live over coffee one day ...she asked me what I thought ......

I said putting people in jail for a health issue fails and that's exactly what we have done for years

You just delay the solution and create a whole unchanged of other issues that are harder to fix

 

[dave123]

They should have an island or remote resort where heavy drug users go to dry out.

They do


Bali rehabs ....um there's about three and Thailand also

Guess what the relapse rate when they leave is the same as if they had gone to me as a public service AOD worker

Same same


Ben needs to be connected to something .....a job or pathway to a job or some other healthy direction ....Daniel Kerr has a pathway now and is doing better

A rudderless ship goes nowhere.

 

[lewigie]

He does some cool things. Directs traffic, stalks mosques, breaks into SAS camp, give it legs from fat coppa's, swims the freezing swan river and thats just the tip of the ice berg. I mean condense it all and you have a seriously sick action flick.....he might be a spy or secret agent.

In all seriousness it's a big concern and feel for him and his family badly. Get well Cuz

He's like the Perth version of Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible.

 

[Chris_6678]

They do


Bali rehabs ....um there's about three and Thailand also

Guess what the relapse rate when they leave is the same as if they had gone to me as a public service AOD worker

Same same


Ben needs to be connected to something .....a job or pathway to a job or some other healthy direction ....Daniel Kerr has a pathway now and is doing better

A rudderless ship goes nowhere.

Kerr might be off the drugs but hits the booze harder than ever.

 

[Jandamarra]

He does some cool things. Directs traffic, stalks mosques, breaks into SAS camp, give it legs from fat coppa's, swims the freezing swan river and thats just the tip of the ice berg. I mean condense it all and you have a seriously sick action flick.....he might be a spy or secret agent.

In all seriousness it's a big concern and feel for him and his family badly. Get well Cuz

A hidden in plain sight kind of thing? Would explain a lot.

 

[The_Eagles]

Kerr might be off the drugs but hits the booze harder than ever.

Younger people who meet him out think he's 43 not 33

 

[EagleShore]

Ben needs to be connected to something .....a job or pathway to a job or some other healthy direction ....Daniel Kerr has a pathway now and is doing better

A rudderless ship goes nowhere.

This. Aside from his genetic gift for athleticism, what made Ben such a brilliant AFL footballer was his maniacal dedication to his craft. He trained like no one else and pushed himself to the limit - a limit that was no doubt of a slightly lower standard than it perhaps could've been had he not used substances such as methamphetamine recreationally during his career.

His drug use seems to be that to which he is now dedicated - the thing he is excelling at (and I do not mean to apply a positive connotation here). Meanwhile his life, let alone recreation, has gone by the wayside.

He needs a serious cause to which he can apply his full attention and inner drive for excellence. Otherwise we will likely read a tragic headline within the next 5-10 years.

This latest episode saddens me most because his behaviour seems to be more out of control than ever, which indicates that his brain is damaged perhaps irreparably. This is not behaviour demonstrated by the majority of meth users.

He is now more an object of pity than anything else, which as others have suggested, is taking the focus off of his achievements.

 

[The old man]

I really feel for Ben and his family. This is just plain tragic.

 

[matt_bas]

Considering I idolised Cuz as a kid, to the point of defending him to anyone that spoke s**t about him in 2007, it's really hard seeing him like this. The worst part is his off field discretions have murkied his on field heroics. Things he should genuinely be recognised for have all but been forgotten because he's a bad seed the minute he's off the footy field.

I honestly think he's past the point of return, and can only hope he gets enough help to keep himself alive and relatively out of harms way for longer than the next 5-10 years. Guys in a bad way and I'm not sure if they're are any untouched avenues for him to go down and get himself better.

I know how you feel. This guy got me into footy. Unfortunately I can only see it ending one way

 

[ziad]

Sheehan is a fool. The issue with Ben is only can he be kept alive

 

[domo]

be handy if every fall Ben had/has wasn't #$#@%ing Photoshopped poorly on the front page of that trash newspaper called Channel 7

 

[dave123]

I've met some people who know Bens parents....I haven't met them

The toll it takes on all parents of drug user is immense ...same with mental breakdowns

I try to get families to build "Teams" around people

Anyone that is negative or critical is asked to butt out ....you'd be suprised what can be achieved just by having positive people around someone who is battling. It's not about doing things for them

"United we stand - divided we fall"

I know they would be trying hard to create a positive environment for him.

 

[dave123]

This. Aside from his genetic gift for athleticism, what made Ben such a brilliant AFL footballer was his maniacal dedication to his craft. He trained like no one else and pushed himself to the limit - a limit that was no doubt of a slightly lower standard than it perhaps could've been had he not used substances such as methamphetamine recreationally during his career.

His drug use seems to be that to which he is now dedicated - the thing he is excelling at (and I do not mean to apply a positive connotation here). Meanwhile his life, let alone recreation, has gone by the wayside.

He needs a serious cause to which he can apply his full attention and inner drive for excellence. Otherwise we will likely read a tragic headline within the next 5-10 years.

This latest episode saddens me most because his behaviour seems to be more out of control than ever, which indicates that his brain is damaged perhaps irreparably. This is not behaviour demonstrated by the majority of meth users.

He is now more an object of pity than anything else, which as others have suggested, is taking the focus off of his achievements.

Your right most meth users don't behave like this but inches that have hit it hard for years won't think very clearly most of the time

I think we need to create separation from Ben the footballer to Ben the person (the media won't)

They are not connected now

 

[Here2tellyouwhy]

Maybe we should offer him a one year deal for 2017. Would be the answer to our midfield crisis.

Ben needs to be connected to something .....a job or pathway to a job or some other healthy direction

The professional has spoken. Make it so West Coast.

 

[ChampRevesby]

Drug addiction is a devastating curse. My heart breaks for Stephanie, Bryan and his children. Please Ben, fight the demons and get better soon.

 

[Matera92]

I've met some people who know Bens parents....I haven't met them

The toll it takes on all parents of drug user is immense ...same with mental breakdowns

I try to get families to build "Teams" around people

Anyone that is negative or critical is asked to butt out ....you'd be suprised what can be achieved just by having positive people around someone who is battling. It's not about doing things for them

"United we stand - divided we fall"

I know they would be trying hard to create a positive environment for him.

Will both end up in an early grave at this rate.

My old man and him go back a way, last time they spoke he reckons Bryans aged 10 years.

 

[dave123]

Will both end up in an early grave at this rate.

My old man and him go back a way, last time they spoke he reckons Bryans aged 10 years.

It's so,hard ...you're often powerless

I know his family are good people. It's hard to watch. Watching it each day in my job - I can honestly say the effect on families is huge. It's like losing your son and inheriting a zombie at times

The average career length for a drug and alcohol counsellor/worker is 8 months

Been doing this for 5 years now. There's no sole quick fix thing that works. I've seen implants used for heroin by George O'niels clinic but it doesn't work for meth. Many of his clients relapse using other drugs also.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Getting slightly sick of the saturation coverage of a bloke who's clearly not in a good place...



Seriously, everyone and his aunty* knows Ben needs help. Why is it newsworthy that Bruce McAvaney says he needs help?

*well everyone except the poster who wants to lock him up for embarrassing the club

 

[JinmboJones]

It's so,hard ...you're often powerless

I know his family are good people. It's hard to watch. Watching it each day in my job - I can honestly say the effect on families is huge. It's like losing your son and inheriting a zombie at times

This isn't something they (his parents) have been involved with since last week though, is it? I can't imagine the strain this would put on families, parents in particular. But there must come a time where you have to consider yourself and your life beyond constantly being a protector and supporter of someone who can't/won't support themselves. There's only so many times you can pick yourself up to find the strength to support someone before you have to say 'enough is enough'. I feel sorry for Ben, I really do, and all the others who go through this horrible struggle. But I can't see this ending well.

As for the scum who sell this to him (and others). Utter oxygen thieves.

 

[BagOfSnags]

I don't know what Richmond did to that poor young man, but he's never been the same since he got back.

Well I hope your joking