Drug Addiction Stories & Info

Former AFL player, Ben Cousins was born in Geelong, Victoria in 1978, is now aged 33. He was by any standard an outstanding football player, playing between 1996 and 2010, with 270 games to his credit.

Cousins played for West Coast 238 games, with 205 goals and then later for Richmond in the Australian Football League, with medals, awards, honors and sponsorships to match. Cousins’ father was, in his day, a star player for Geelong football team.

Cousins is currently hospitalized in a psychiatric ward, apparently suffering from paranoia, and drug induced psychosis as a result of “chasing the dragon” with meth drugs – using for several days in a row. Many drug users see meth drug addiction as the beginning of the end of the road. Meth drug is a stimulant, highly toxic to the body, and extremely addicting.

Photos of Cousins have appeared in the press, showing unmistakable signs of the physical deterioration that rapidly sets in with regular meth drug abuse.

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 This current situation is all the more disappointing because it was only late last year that Cousins became a father for the first time, claiming that this fresh, innocent young child meant all the world to him. Love for his partner, love for his child were not powerful enough to prevent Ben Cousins’ continued poly drug use and addiction.

Whatever drove Ben to use drugs in the beginning has led to public shame and humiliation. Cousins has his fans, he also has outspoken detractors. Many feel that as a top AFL player, Cousins’ had an obligation, a responsibility to be a good role model for the younger generation,

Cousins has run off from police, leaving his then girlfriend in his car, been found passed out in the street, had many issues with attempted drug rehab and missed sessions of football training. Cousins’ drug using behavior has caused him to be accused of having criminal connections.

In many ways it is easy to blame the addicted person – for immaturity, lack of backbone, lack of moral values – for appearing not to care about anything else but drug use.

To see the drug user, in a negative way is perhaps to misunderstand the nature and causes of drug addiction – which at the end of the day is a form of compulsive behavior over which an individual lacks control.

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The story of Ben Cousins is of a life that went out of control – due to abuse of drugs, and a failure of many attempts that he made to complete drug detox and rehabilitation.

 Footy identity and former Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse says now that he was warned three years ago that Cousins would eventually relapse when considering taking him into the Collingwood team  in the 2008 pre-season – a year after Cousins was sacked by the West Coast team for problems associated with his drug taking.

It was said of Cousins that all it would need would be some form of setback to trigger off his drug dependency again. Richmond club took him in on the basis that Cousins would make a genuine attempt to overcome his drug addiction.

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The Malthouse article is revealing in that it hints about another side of the football industry, one that causes immense pressure to top players, in terms of their commitment to the game, and to sponsorship deals. There is big money involved in AFL – it can both make and break the players.

Ultimately it is for the managers to offer mentoring and protection to players who mostly come into the game as talented kids – unprepared for the politics and pressures of what has undeniably become big business. Many blame the aggression and escapist behavior that has crept into football today on high financial stakes, and constant pressure to perform.

 Cousins has been reported as recently saying that if it hadn’t been for the football – he would have gone into drug rehab fifteen years ago. Ultimately it is for the individual to sort their priorities out – no easy thing for anyone to do who is caught up in the lifestyle, the public profile of a high pressure, yet highly rewarding career. So much easier to take the pressure – and use drugs to compensate.

For Cousins it has been a very public battle against addiction since 2007 when he was sacked by West Coast for issues relating to drug use. Five years later and it would seem that drugs have got the upper hand despite every best intention.

Mainstream drug rehabilitation does not appear to have worked for Ben Cousins, nor for many other addicts. The assumption behind traditional rehab is that addiction can never be overcome, that recovery is never complete.

As a result many people never try alternative methods for addiction recovery that offer success, believing it to be impossible, particularly for drugs such as meth.

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Meanwhile levels of drug dependency and addiction are increasing worldwide, and those addicted are dying.

There comes a time when those who say that something is impossible, need to stand aside, and get out of the way of those who are out there doing it.

It is not only sports stars and famous people who suffer from drug use and pressure, however reading about their stories can help to reassure us that we are not alone when trying to deal with our problems and getting caught up in drug use.

Taking time out for genuine alcohol and drug detox and rehabilitation at a comprehensive addiction recovery center can get you off drugs completely.

Don’t dream about drug addiction recovery – use a comprehensive program now and recover completely from your drug use and addiction.

An unlikely bond – between Eminem and Elton John – that started with them singing together at the 2001 Grammy Awards, and led to Eminem crediting Elton with getting him off drugs.

Elton now over 60, a rock singer in the popular genre, by his own admission, as a young person, used to overindulge in drugs, yet managed to overcome a drug habit of sixteen years to remain clean and sober today.

Elton is a survivor in a world where fantasy, fame and fortune is so often connected with drug abuse, failed rehab and overdose.

In the ups and downs of the show biz world, Elton is regarded by many as a “rock”, a friend and counselor ready to help when the going gets rough. Elton has his critics, who accuse him of interfering – but as Elton says it is never his intention to intervene, if a person does not want any help. You cannot help a person until they are ready.

Elton himself can remember his own denial about drug use, and the rejection of friends because they told him that he was being an “idiot”. Elton regrets the years lost to drugs, saying intially it was fun, but that it ended up being incredibly depressing.

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Rapper Eminem, of Slim Shady fame was born in 1972, began performing at the age of 14, using mainly prescription drugs as he hit the big time, to cope with the stress, to maintain peak energy for exhausting, but exhilarating live on stage performance. His albums Relapse, and Recovery reflect his struggles to overcome drug addiction. In 2005, Eminem cancelled a concert tour, saying that he had gone into rehab for sleep medication dependency.

 In 2008, an autobiography revealed Eminem’s lifelong struggle with depression and drugs, poverty and fame. It was to Elton John that Eminem turned for help with his drug addiction problem around 2008/09, facing a downward spiral into increasing use of prescription drugs, painkillers and sleeping pills.

see article – 2009 -

 In 2010, Eminem announced to fans that there would be no Relapse 2 album, but released instead Recovery, as being more in tune with his feelings. Perhaps Recovery is what the world is in need of – the Recovery album is the best selling digital album ever, selling over 3 million copies in the USA.

 Elton John as a mentor to Eminem follows the age old tradition of peer counseling and support, in which more experienced folk who have been there and done it, can give the benefit of their experience to others, perhaps help them avoid the pitfalls, overcome the hurdles.

 For Elton John and Eminem there has been a successful outcome.

For many top rating musicians and performers outcomes have not been as happy. Recently there has been the tragic deaths of Amy Winehouse, and Michael Jackson, and many stories of celebrity rehab that has not been completely successful.

The therapeutic benefit of talking to someone who understands, who is non-judgmental has proved itself through the centuries to be invaluable support for people struggling to deal with personal problems and difficulties, who in many cases have turned to drug use as a solution.

 Entertainers find themselves in a demanding world of high achievement, scheduled performances, a life on the road, no time to stop, relax or slow down. Applause from the audience, the cheering of fans is said to be much like a drug, often leading performers to substance abuse so as to provide the energy to give consistent high performance, needing downers to get some sleep.

Today, people face more stress and tension than ever before, global connection has not necessarily improved interpersonal communication. Many people feel alone in the crowd, and in seeking purpose and identity fall into the trap of using drugs.

 Finding someone to trust, who has the answers to drug dependence and addiction need not be left to chance. An uncertain recovery, continued drug use, cravings and possible relapse can be completely avoided if you make the choice to use a comprehensive drug rehab program.

Narconon started in 1966, in a prison in Arizona, started by a long term heroin addict who developed the program from his own personal experience and insight that he gained gained from reading the humanitarian works of L Ron Hubbard., 

Over the years, the Narconon program has grown into a worldwide international presence that promotes drug free living, and complete drug addiction recovery, with residential rehab centers situated throughout the world, and drug prevention programs that are made available to communities and schools.

Mentoring is provided that is effective to bring about an improvement in life skills, and self esteem,  together with comprehensive drug free support, that includes complete sauna detox, based on scientific method.

Addicts who choose the Narconon program take the risk and uncertainty out of their addiction recovery.

It takes an average of 6-8 months – to become completely drug and addiction free using the Narconon program for alcohol and drug addiction recovery.  

People in North America,  with problems of drug abuse and addiction can contact:  Narconon. 

Most of us learn how to be a mother by example. Naturally, as we are growing up, we learn from watching our own mother. How she acts, reacts and generally lives plays a big part in what kind of parent we ultimately become. I, like many others, learned how to be an alcoholic mother. I am not myself an alcoholic. In fact, I have consciously avoided alcohol much of my life because I saw what it did to both of my parents. However, since my mom was an alcoholic, that is the example I had to draw upon when I became a parent.

As an adult, I cannot “blame” my own mother for my parenting mistakes. I can, however, understand how and why I made many of the decisions which affected my parenting. The irrationality that IS alcoholism was a big part of my decision making process as a parent. Interestingly, I made just as many  mistakes trying not to be like my own mother.

I must point out that my own mother was a success in many ways. She was a financial genius. She was also brilliant when it came to investments, and was a top notch bookkeeper for some very influential people. So, in many ways, she was a very unique person, especially given the fact that she was indeed an alcoholic. I never want anyone to think of my mother as a “bad” person. She just had one very bad practice, and that was substance abuse. Sadly, that is something I simply could not understand as a child. She was just “Mom”.

That being said… it was the basis of many decisions I made and actions I took being a parent. I learned to over-react, disassociate and continue the dysfunction. I learned to avoid confrontation, which is something my mother thrived on. As a result, I never learned how to effectively communicate with my own children. Again, my mother’s influence also had a positive affect in that I did learn how to communicate with outsiders and business people… just not family.

My mother loved her children. Of that, I have no doubt. I didn’t think she did when I was younger, but I am wiser now and understand much more. By the same respect, I know that my own children have suffered as an ultimate result of alcoholism. I loved (and love) my children, some of whom are grown, with all of my heart. I guess I just wasn’t very good at showing them many times. I did try, however, to hug and otherwise show affection to them, which was lacking in my own mother/daughter relationship.

I don’t blame my mother. I do, however, to some extent blame alcohol and drugs. My mother was an alcoholic who also was very fond of codeine. I can still remember that huge bottle of codeine being in our linen closet next to the bathroom. Back then, the dangers of codeine were not as well known, and it was very easy to obtain. I also remember that my parents had a “beer refrigerator”. They had a separate refrigerator for their alcohol. Of course, when I was young, I didn’t realize that was odd.

Physically and mentally, I believe I have many signs of being the child of an alcoholic. I was the youngest, and evidence points to the fact that my mother drank throughout her pregnancy with me. Doctors and Psychiatrists have gone over with me how that ultimately effected my brain development. Back when I was young, however, there was no ADHD or other conditions. One was either normal, or different. I was “different”. Many have also told me that the youngest child of two alcoholics often becomes a psychotic. Thankfully, that is not what happened with me. Thankfully, I also did not become an alcoholic, a fate which has already begun to affect more than one of my children.

I’ve long since forgiven my mother, who is now deceased. I understand much more about alcoholism and drug addiction, and have done a lot of reflection and investigation into my own actions and feelings. Alcoholism has greatly affected me, and my family. I can’t use that as an excuse to justify my own mistakes, but it helps to understand them. One of my own daughters is now a Mother. I worry how alcoholism will interfere with her parenting.
If wishes were rainbows, the world would be beautiful. However, the realities are that wishes don’t change much. I wish my own mother had gotten rehab at some point in her life. I wish I had gotten help with dealing with being a child of two alcoholics. I wish I had done a lot of things differently with my own children. What I CAN do is forgive, which I have done. I can also educate myself and others on the dangers of alcoholism and how it affects families. I can apologize to my own children, and try to explain. Actions do speak louder than words. Sadly, substance abuse is an action that far too many parents choose.

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These reflexions from a mother was brought to you by Narconon. To know more about Narconon and what it is doing to help resolve the drug problem in our society, please visit narconon.org.

If you need help to beat a drug or alcohol addiction, please call 1-877-782-7409 to learn what are your different recovery options.

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