Reports today emerging that he has never been clean for more than 3 months..
Doubts cast on Ben Cousins' drug-free statusby: Stephen Drill in Perth From: Herald Sun January 13, 2012 12:00AMCONCERNS have been raised about the severity of Ben Cousins' injuries.
It comes amid claims he has not been drug-free for more than three months, despite several stints in rehabilitation.
Cousins has spent four days in Perth's Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital following a fall at a drug rehabilitation clinic this week.
He remained in hospital in a stable condition last night.
Cousins hurt himself when he slipped as he was getting out of a shower and struck his head on a basin, also injuring his neck.
But the length of his stay in hospital has raised questions that his injuries may have been more serious than first thought.
Emergency medicine experts said the length of stay in hospital for patients with head injuries varied, but those who presented under the influence of drugs or alcohol were harder to assess.
Sources told the Herald Sun last night that Cousins has had continuing problems with illicit drugs, despite seeking help at several rehabilitation clinics.
He was at Perth's Abbotsford Private Hospital, which specialises in treating patients at risk of relapsing into drug dependency, when he fell earlier this week.
"He's never been clean for more than three months. The rehab just hasn't worked," a source said.
Dr Stephen Parnis, an emergency physician and vice-president of the Victorian branch of the Australian Medical Association, said the length of a patient's stay in hospital depended on the severity of the injury.
Speaking generally and not commenting on Cousins's health, Dr Parnis said assessing the severity of a head injury required doctors to look at a patient's state of consciousness.
"Are they confused, showing weakness or slurring their speech? If the patient is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the severity of the injury is harder to assess," he said.
A Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital spokesman said Cousins was in a stable condition last night.
A spokesman for the Abbotsford Private Hospital declined to comment.
Cousins's father, Bryan Cousins, did not return the Herald Sun's calls yesterday.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/fears-held-for-bens-health/story-fn7x8me2-1226243034972