Channel Seven to air Ben Cousins documentary - Aug 25-26

[one-eyed]

Descent into drugs hell
Editorial
Herald Sun
August 12, 2010

"MY name is Ben Cousins ... I'm a drug addict."

With these words Brownlow medallist Ben Cousins publicly admits his descent into drugs.
 
The admission is part of the process of recovery. If you cannot admit your problem, how can you recover?

It was a confession he long avoided during an addiction that saw him banned from playing AFL football.

In spite of his problems, the former West Coast Eagles premiership player was given another chance to play at the elite level by the Richmond Football Club.

The television documentary of his troubled times to be shown by Channel 7 is named just that: Such is Life: the troubled times of Ben Cousins.

"Such is life" are words whose meaning is less obvious. They are said to be the last words uttered by Ned Kelly before the bushranger was hanged in the Old Melbourne Gaol. Ben Cousins has the words tattooed across his stomach.

But such is not life. "Drugs destroy lives" needs to be the message that young Australians remember.

For better or for worse, Ben Cousins was a role model turned tainted hero tested for drugs, often several times a week.

On balance, this documentary of a life at the top gone badly wrong does nothing to glorify drugs.

While confronting to younger viewers, it will send a powerful message. The unseen words that should be remembered at the end of this drugs doco are: Don't do drugs.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/editorials/descent-into-drugs-hell/story-e6frfhqo-1225904154701

[one-eyed]

Ben Cousins divides nation again
Dr Stefan Gruenert
Herald Sun
August 12, 2010

THERE is no doubt Ben Cousins has brought the debate on drugs misuse into mainstream households across the nation.
 
And this is a good thing. All of us could think a bit more deeply about the role that alcohol or caffeine or other drugs like painkillers or sleeping pills play in our everyday life.

If I were talking to a group in relation to the Cousins television documentary, what would I say to them? I would say, without a doubt: "Watch this because this is where your dependence could take you. More to the point, this is where it could take any of us."

Cousins' public admission of his dependence on drugs is to be commended and more people in all walks of life should follow his example. Only then will the stigma be reduced for those who need treatment and are seeking support.

Making his story public, however, has not been without its risks. It has polarised our community. Some think Cousins, and others like him, make the choice to use drugs and deserve what they get. Any hint of a relapse, impulsive or antisocial behaviour, will simply confirm their view that addicts should not be trusted or believed.

As one of only a few celebrities going through recovery in the public eye, Cousins also has the burden of constant scrutiny, and no slip-up will be missed.

We get great pleasure seeing our sporting stars and heroes at their best. But some people get great pleasure at seeing them fall.

Others, who understand that relapse and unlearning old habits are part of recovery, are more likely to see addiction as a psychological and health issue, and will be more supportive of a treatment response.

They appreciate that bad choices are often followed by guilt and shame, which can make further drug use seem the best way to forget about everything, even just for a short time.

Such people also understand that our life experiences, any trauma we may have endured, or our biological make-up can also mean that making positive choices can be harder for some people than for others.

I appreciate that Cousins is likely to profit from his story, as told in Such is Life. If its screening highlights the impact that alcohol and other drugs can have on family, on health, and a person's potential - it is worth doing.

If it helps people understand that recovery is a struggle requiring significant time and courage, but that treatment works - it is worth doing.

If it prompts one person or family member to seek help - it is worth doing. The danger, however, is that a relapse is always possible, and the documentary may simply reinforce negative stereotypes or glamorise hazardous drug use.

The way his story is told is critical, and this is the responsibility of the media and producers. How old children should be before they view it remains the responsibility of classifiers and parents. But these stories, and more like them, need to be told.

Dr Stefan Gruenert is CEO of Odyssey House Victoria

THE Ben Cousins documentary is fraught with danger. Here is a drop-dead good-looking bloke playing at the top level of Australia's highest-profile sport, living a rock star lifestyle with plenty of appeal to young people.

Sadly, I have buried more than 80 young people whose lives were ruined by drugs. They were confronted by total misery, homelessness, malnutrition - and not one of them reached adulthood.

Maybe the doco will show that football administrators need to be more diligent. Maybe it will prove to young people that no one - not even a sporting superstar like Cousins - is bullet-proof, a tragedy that also embraced his former teammate, Chris Mainwaring.

Make no mistake about this: drug addicts come from both white-collar and blue-collar families. Drugs don't discriminate between rich and poor.

Whether you "chase the dragon" or resort to any of the other methods, you will pay a price for drug use. It will cost you dearly in terms of your life. It could cost you a job, a girlfriend, your family and eventually your life as well. You will pay. Of that there is no question.

I know of someone who gave in to cocaine and who now speaks at schools. He tells them how his habit cost him his career, his Falls Creek chalet, his family and his dignity.

While education is an important tool in stopping young people from drug use, they must never become blase about drugs. All the hype surrounding Ben Cousins's addiction could be sadly seductive. We do not want to see an increase in young people experimenting with drugs as a result of this documentary.

A community service announcement I once ran on TV used the slogan: "If you play you pay". That dire message should never be forgotten.

Les Twentyman is founder of 20th Man Fund

IN any assessment of the new Ben Cousins documentary, one is reminded of the responsible role models that footballers are supposed to be.

Think of the football clinics held with budding, very young and very vulnerable children who look up to their heroes and place them on a pedestal, as do the fans.

My advice would be not to watch the Cousins documentary because it glorifies the whole of issue of drug-taking. It glamorises the drug dependence of celebrities and might be misconstrued as representing a lifestyle to be aspired to.

We are becoming too accustomed - to the extent that we are becoming desensitised - to hearing allegations about AFL footballers in relation to drug-taking and sexual exploits.

We don't need to see first-hand, through the lens of a TV camera, the decline of Cousins in his drug haze.

This is a footballer who continually flouted convention, football club rules and indeed the rules of society as well. It took a long time to catch up with him, though, in part because of his high profile and his sought-after sports skills.

Full marks to him, though, for actually going to rehab and full marks to his family for supporting him through the crisis.

I feel that this documentary looks a bit surreal when compared with ordinary life. It will not reach the children in care on drugs or even the families with children on drugs, as they will think the story does not apply to them as they are not celebrities with the huge support structure that AFL stars get.

The documentary merely succeeds in putting Cousins in the spotlight again. He should just get on with his rehabilitation process and get serious about overcoming his addiction. He should put his name to use in more constructive ways, perhaps even helping Jim Stynes in his youth mentoring program.

Drug addiction is a very serious issue for many families, and causes many deaths. Therefore it should not be glorified for personal gain. Not ever.

Jillian Walley's daughter died of a drug overdose

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/ben-cousins-divides-nation-again/story-e6frfhqf-1225904137692

[one-eyed]

Ben Cousins documentary painful to watch but a must-see
Mike Sheahan
Herald Sun
August 12, 2010

I WAS interviewed twice during the past 12 months for the Ben Cousins documentary.
 
One of an eclectic mix from a wide circle of family, friends, medical experts including his counsellor, club personnel including Richmond coach Damien Hardwick and his former West Coast coach John Worsfold, former teammates and senior football writers.

On the two occasions I was involved, the questions were relevant and often explicit. There was no attempt, subtle or otherwise, from the interviewer to massage any of the answers.

In the more recent interview - two weeks ago - I told the interviewer I didn't believe Cousins on the caffeine-sleeping pill story of a few weeks earlier, and explained why. The tape rolled on.

Channel 7's up-coming documentary Such is Life: the troubled times of Ben Cousins promises to deliver on its title.

Seven is expected to screen the program over two nights in the week leading up to Round 22, which seems increasingly likely to be Cousins' final appearance at AFL level.

The doco has been more than two years in the making, with hundreds of hours of interviews distilled to 90 minutes.

It will be compelling viewing: revealing, explosive in part and terribly sad, yet uplifting in its own way.

It will have broad appeal, too, for it's not a story about a footballer. It's a story about 21st-century society, this one featuring a footballer - a great footballer, a Brownlow Medal winner.

Ben Cousins is the young man with the film star face, extraordinary sporting talent and charisma by the truckload who has been a drug user since his teens and an addict for several years.

He might have died several times in that period, yet has lived to tell his tale, a tale he wants told.

Despite his sordid lifestyle, despite his known links to dodgy figures, we want to embrace him. Not just because he has been a great player, more because he is so publicly a troubled young man with a devoted family, with a determination to remain in football, to keep putting his head up to play the game he loves.

I admire Cousins for his refusal to lash out at his critics, even those who have attacked him consistently and often nastily.

The real Cousins is as elusive as Cousins the footballer was at the height of his powers at West Coast in the first half of the 2000s.

He will offer up a nod, a wink or the trademark half-smile, and little else.

There have been just two occasions in the 14 years I have known him where he has been forthcoming.

The first was at the 1996 AFL Grand Final official luncheon, when he came up to my table with Daniel Chick "just to say hello". Cousins was there as the Rising Star that year; Chick his "date".

I was in the middle of a fillet steak when the two young men, one of whom I didn't recognise, just appeared at my shoulder.

"Congratulations, Benny," I said, mouthful of beef temporarily parked in a cheek, shuffling uneasily until they said their goodbyes.

Most recently, Cousins was a guest on On the Couch for what was the most compelling interview in the program's nine-year-history.

He was open, animated, passionate and credible. Those who know him best thought him remarkably honest, too.

The popular description of the Cousins doco is "confronting". It has also been described as "ugly" and "painful", a program that's going to "shake a few people up". It should be all of those things for it is a warts-and-all story of a fallen hero, one who continues to try to regain his feet, no matter how many times he stumbles.

It shows Cousins in several humiliating positions, including his use of prohibited substances.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou seems remarkably at ease with what's to come. He has seen the program, subject to a final edit, as have Richmond officials.

It is certain to raise serious issues about the AFL's drug detection program, as it must, but Cousins' battle has dragged football into the real world on society's most insidious issue.

AFL heavyweights were warned of an endemic drug problem at West Coast for three or four years before they acted. Or were forced to act. They won't be as lead-footed next time, and there will be a next time.

Every parent should watch this program, for it is about the storybook middle-class couple, Bryan and Stephanie Cousins, steadfastly, then reluctantly, then painfully, coming to terms with the realisation their son is caught up in drugs. Hard drugs. Potentially fatal drugs.

Ben lied to them like he lied to everyone else other than those complicit in his addiction.

What does a parent do then? Do they ignore all the rumour and innuendo and put their trust in the word of their son, as they did?

How long, though, do they shut their eyes and ears to the obvious?

Mr and Mrs Cousins did what all we parents hope we would do in the circumstances. They kept the faith, they finally accepted the reality, they cried, they stood by their boy.

I was one of dozens of reporters who badgered Bryan for an interview during the past two years.

Actually, I hope I didn't badger, but I certainly spoke to him several times about sitting down and talking about "the situation".

Not once was he rude. Not even curt. He understood the interest, he said, and he was happy to chat but, in the end, he wanted to keep his counsel.

Deep down, the Cousins family must have known there was a problem.

But, deep down, what parent wants to believe one of their children has succumbed to the scourge of the modern world?

It will be excruciatingly painful for the family to watch their son ingesting a brain-damaging substance on national television in a couple of weeks.

Gut-wrenching, yet at least they know everything's out in the open now. Don't they say you can't solve a problem until you admit to the problem?

I suspect Richmond will cut Benny Cousins come the end of its season, which will be sad for him. But, it could have been much worse.

Who knows where he might have found himself without football during the past two years? We will have a better handle on that question after the doco.

Good luck to him.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/ben-cousins-documentary-painful-to-watch-but-a-must-see/story-e6frf7kx-1225904139167

[one-eyed]

Ben like ping-pong ball, kingpin says
From: Herald Sun
August 12, 2010

UNDERWORLD kingpin John Kizon has told how he tried in vain to stop Ben Cousins using drugs.
 
The convicted heroin dealer, a long-time friend of Cousins, said he tried to step in because the disgraced Brownlow medallist was "bouncing around like a ping-pong ball".

"Well, a number of years ago when we heard that he was partying and he was bouncing around like a ping-pong ball, I tried to sit him down a few times," Kizon told TV current affairs show Today Tonight yesterday.

"People say, 'Why don't you go out and help him even more? Why doesn't John Kizon and his friends sit him down?'

"Listen, he's over 16, you know. He's responsible for his own actions.

"We sat him down, we did, and we said, 'Listen this is what we believe, this is what we've heard. Mate you've got to look after yourself.' He didn't listen to it and history shows what happened."

The Perth-based crime identity also criticised the West Coast Eagles over their handling of Cousins.

"Ben had some demons, but they should've supported him, not been this Moet Chandon football club."

The revelations come a month after Kizon jumped to his pal's defence when Cousins spent a night in intensive care in Epworth hospital after a sleeping tablet mishap.

"He's the best bloke in the world. You just want to kick him when he's down," he said at the time.

Kizon has been a supporter of Cousins during his fight back from drug addiction.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/ben-like-ping-pong-ball-kingpin-says/story-e6frf7kx-1225904140467

[one-eyed]

Program set to see out Ben Cousns' career
Michael Warner
Herald Sun
August 12, 2010

BEN Cousins's tell-all documentary could be shown in the days leading up to his last AFL game.
 
Cousins, 32, could play his farewell match for Richmond against Port Adelaide on August 29, setting the scene for a Channel 7 ratings bonanza.

The first explosive images of the Such is Life documentary revealed by the Herald Sun yesterday have split the sporting world.

Coaches, sporting greats and drug experts had mixed views.

Olympic silver medallist Raelene Boyle said the film would send the wrong message to aspiring athletes.

"The downside to this entire saga with Cousins is that I would hate to see any young athlete look at Ben and think this is part of the glitz and glamour of being a sports star," Boyle said.

"They're illegal drugs and should never be looked at as going hand in hand with the high society of being a success in any sporting career.

"There are so many positive stories to tell for young people coming up in sport and I just can't see the point of showing someone who was hooked on illicit drugs, and I find it pretty negative to be honest."

Swans premiership coach Paul Roos was cautious.

"We all feel for Ben and his family and what they've been through, but the bottom line is they are illegal drugs and have no place in sport and society," Roos said.

"They should never be glorified and the thing that gets overlooked with moments like these is that drugs are against the law."

But West Coast Eagles coach John Worsfold backed his former skipper.

"As much as it was good for Ben, I would hope it has some impact in raising awareness in the dangers of illicit drugs," Worsfold said.

Fellow coach Kevin Sheedy said he hoped the confronting Cousins tale would serve as a deterrent to teenagers.

"We have seen what drugs can do to people in all walks of life whether it be Chris Mainwaring, Heath Ledger, Elvis Presley, and the list goes on," Sheedy said.

"I will watch the documentary because I think it will have a powerful message to youngsters that drugs can ruin lives.

"The best thing about Ben is that he'll probably turn 40, have a few kids and have a life. To me, it's all about life and Ben is still alive, and that's all that matters."

Richmond chiefs said the show would have no bearing on Cousins's playing future.

"The airing of the documentary or its timing won't impact on the decision-making process," a club spokesman said.

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou gave the film his personal tick of approval after watching it with music promoter Michael Gudinski, the film's executive producer, and Seven's Melbourne chief, Lewis Martin.

"I've kept in touch with the AFL through the whole thing and Andrew has seen it," Gudinski said.

"I can't speak for him but I think he's very understanding of the line, of the whole situation the program has been turned into.

"He's a family man and certainly it hasn't been a situation where the AFL have tried to censor the program."

Martin said the doco was very confronting.

"To me it's about a very courageous family - and about a father and his son. It's very raw," he said.

Dumped Bulldog Jason Akermanis said Cousins's addiction brought into question the effectiveness of the AFL's drug code.

"If he's taken these illegal substances and we can see that on tape now, what else was he doing, what else was he getting hold of?" Akermanis said.

Geoff Munro, from the Australian Drug Foundation, said he hoped the film would send a serious warning.

"We hope it doesn't glamorise drug use because there is a danger Ben has achieved celebrity status and some people might think he is cool for that reason," he said.

Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre director Professor Dan Lubman, who helped in the making of the doco, said it could break down the stigma of drug problems and convince others to seek help.

"It hopefully will allow us to have a community debate about our attitude to alcohol and drugs rather than demonise people who have problems," he said.

Angela Ireland, of counselling service Family Drug Help, said the confronting portrayal of the Cousins family battle would benefit all.

"This is another form of reality TV, which is dealing with a topic that most people have a connection with, so from our experience it brings to the forefront issues that effect everyone's life," she said.

But Australian Family Association spokesman Tim Cannon said Channel 7 had taken on a huge responsibility.

Anyone who is concerned about their own, or a family member's drug use, can call Turning Point on 1800 888 236, or Family Drug Help on 1300 660 068

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/program-set-to-see-out-ben-cousns-career/story-e6frf7kx-122590414071

[one-eyed]

Don't show drugs, Cousins urged
MARTIN BLAKE
August 12, 2010
 
THE Australian Drug Foundation has urged Richmond's Ben Cousins and Channel Seven not to portray actual drug use in the upcoming documentary about the footballer's life.

The ADF says its research suggests that portrayal of drug use in the media ''triggers'' some people to experiment with drugs. It is fearful that the documentary, Such Is Life, will have the effect of making Cousins's behaviour appear ''cool''.

Excerpts of the documentary appeared on the internet yesterday in the form of a Channel Seven promotional advertisement for the program. They showed Cousins dancing in his underwear, an emotional interview with his father Bryan, and Cousins looking into the camera and saying: ''I'm a drug addict.''

There have been claims the documentary will show Cousins using drugs, or under the influence of drugs. It is believed the documentary, two years in the making, is still being completed. While there is speculation that Channel Seven will air the program in grand final week, this is not clear.

ADF policy manager Geoff Munro criticised Seven for ''priming the audience'' with the release of excerpts. ''We hope it doesn't portray drug use, because the research evidence indicates that to portray drug use is to normalise drug use for some people, and that may glamorise that drug use, show people how to do it, and that can by itself encourage other people,'' Mr Munro said yesterday.

''Our other concern is that Ben has a celebrity status with some people, and a documentary like this might have some people seeing him as 'cool'. That may encourage some people to emulate his drug use.''

The ADF has not seen the documentary and was not asked for an opinion. However, another Melbourne-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation group, Turning Point, welcomed the Cousins documentary.

Professor Dan Lubman, director of Turning Point, was involved in the filming and said Cousins was ''incredibly brave'' to go public about his troubles. Professor Lubman said it was time for the community to talk about drug use, just as it had learnt to talk about depression.

''I don't think there's enough real discussion in the community about alcohol and drug use and the impact it has on families,'' he told The Age.

''Unfortunately we still have a very moralistic attitude, that people bring it on themselves and that they should be punished or not offered treatment,'' he said. ''It was brave of Ben to put his story out there.''

He denied that the documentary would encourage drug use. ''It's not about glorifying drugs. Hopefully what it will do is encourage people to seek help.''

Cousins, who is fighting for his football future over the next three weeks, also has his club's support in the documentary's production. Richmond has seen a version of the documentary and ticked it off.

Turning Point offers a 24-hour counselling service for people with drug problems, including families. Call 1800 888 236.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/dont-show-drugs-cousins-urged-20100811-11zp8.html

[mightytiges]

The media have been gunning for Benny to retire for ages now. I'm surprised Hutchy isn't leading the charge today. Sounds like the media have put the doco timing with the announcement of the new interchange rules together and come out with he's gone. I would laugh if there's a positive reaction to the doco and all these stupid new rules changes are totally rejected and we say Cuz is going on one more year.

If the doco is only about the last two years then the RFC should come out of it smelling like roses.

[one-eyed]

Footy, Tigers crucial for Cousins
richmondfc.com.au
By Luke Holmesby
Thu 12 August, 2010


RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick says football has been Ben Cousins' saving grace in his bid to overcome drug addiction.

A documentary detailing Cousins' drug abuse and rehabilitation will be aired on Channel 7 in the next six weeks and although he hasn't seen it yet, Hardwick endorsed its telecast.

"From what I've heard, it in no way glorifies it (drug use). This is a guy who has come back from the brink," Hardwick said.

"Without AFL football and without the Richmond footy club, there is a fair chance that Ben wouldn’t have made it.

"So I think the program in no way glorifies drug use, I think it is an enormous educational tool for parents to sit down with their kids with the classification in mind and say, 'Listen, this is what happens.'

"Ben has been very lucky but there are a lot of people who aren't."

The Tigers have come out in strong support of the documentary which has been advertised as a warts-and-all account of Cousins’ battle.

“Drugs nearly killed this kid and it is a great opportunity for people to sit down, have a really good look at it and understand it,” Hardwick said.

“It is very confronting by all accounts and it is an enormous opportunity for people to have a look at it and say listen this is what happens when you take drugs. Ben’s come out of the other side, a lot of people don’t. It’s a great story and one that I think is worth everyone having a look at.”

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/100182/default.aspx

[Ramps]

Hardwicks a great leader for our club. Another class PR job from a bloke who will become our next great Premiership Coach. Give him a 10 year contract now 

[tiga]

Well if Aker says it will glorify drug use then it must be true! 

[Mr Magic]

Barely a word anywhere that the club will look at offering Cousins a new contract.
Richmond will support Ben & the doco but they will still cut him.

[cub]

Hardwicks a great leader for our club. Another class PR job from a bloke who will become our next great Premiership Coach. Give him a 10 year contract now 

I liked his reaction to the rule changes, suggesting Paper Rock Scissors instead of a coin toss ... LMAO 

[one-eyed]

Ben's drugs battle touches Heath's dad
Herald Sun
August 13, 2010

HEATH Ledger's father has spoken of his admiration for troubled Richmond star and family friend Ben Cousins.

Kim Ledger said he admired the footballer's bravery in speaking openly about his problems.

"It's all a bit sad. But he is getting better," he said.

Cousins was rushed to hospital last month after accidentally overdosing on sleeping pills.

Heath Ledger died in 2008 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

Mr Ledger said he had been aware over the past two years that Cousins was making a tell-all documentary, which details his battle with drug addiction.

"We are pretty proud of him for having a go and letting the world know that he has been to some pretty dark places. But he is trying very hard," he said.

Mr Ledger is in Melbourne this week with his wife, Ines, to visit his stepdaughter Nadia.

They will watch Cousins play against Carlton on Saturday.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/confidential/bens-drugs-battle-touches-heaths-dad/story-e6frf96x-1225904642216

[one-eyed]

Seven 'exploiting' Ben Cousins documentary: Andrew Demetriou

    * Finn Bradshaw
    * From: Herald Sun
    * August 13, 2010 10:31AM

AFL chief executive Andrew Demtriou has criticised Channel Seven for its promotion of the controversial Ben Cousins documentary.

Channel Seven announced this week it would screen a documentary Cousins has been working on since leaving West Coast under a cloud of drug allegations in 2007. The station has been heavily promoting it on air this week.

Demetriou said the AFL had complained to the network about the timing of its promotions, but that Seven was more interested in ratings.

“I’m disappointed with the way it’s been promoted. I think the Seven network has been ordinary in the way they’ve put it up in their ads in Packed to the Raftes, which is a family program, certainly did that without our knowledge, they were supoposed to work with us in the way it was promoted, but I found that pretty distasteful,” he told radio station 3AW this morning.

“We have (complained to Seven), but they are all about ratings and exploitation."

Seven’s promos for the documentary – titled Such Is Life: The Troubled Times of Ben Cousins - include vision of the Richmond onballer admitting he a drug addict.

It is believed the documentary will be screened over two nights, possibly in the week before the Grand Final.
Demetriou said he supported the program, and recommended people watch it.

“I think it’s a very, very well made documentary … it’s certainly a documentary worth seeing, especially for families, I think the story of this documentary is of a young man who becomes an addict, who goes through terrible times then with the support of family, and a structure around football, he comes out of it the other end. It’s at times confronting, but at then some positives come out of it.”

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/seven-exploiting-ben-cousins-documentary-andrew-demetriou/story-e6frf9jf-1225904810159

[RollsRoyce]

It's a bit rich of Dimwittyou to criticize Channel 7 for being all about "ratings and expoitation". Some of the things the AFL has done in pursuit of the almighty dollar have not exactly been above reproach.