Drug Addiction - One day it might be someone you admire or someone you know - or it might even be you

So let me cast aside the fact that I am a West Coast Eagles supporter for a moment. Actually come to think of it is that even a pertinent point? I mean there are factions within our supporter base who feel just like a lot of the Cousins Haters out there.

One of the thoughts I want to put out there is that is that there is absolutely no way in a million years that Ben Cousins is the only AFL player that is addicted to illegal substances, or not even just illegal ones - what about booze or prescription meds. Let’s face the facts - a large majority of our population succumbs very easily to the ills of society be they legal or illegal. It’s something I know a lot about

I’m not justifying Cousins actions and saying that because he isn’t the only one that it’s ok. But after seeing the sights at the Hawks and Geelong training matches and the Grand Final Parade today I think we should question the culture of footy and wether or not making these guys into Demi Gods is going to make the situation better or worse.

Ben Cousins was idolised like a god in Perth - he may have been a Junkie wether or not he played football or became a garbage collecter.

But what happens to these new players coming up into the spotlight and gaining all this attention in the media at the moment. What happens to Buddy next year if he sustains an injury and finds himself needing pain medication just to get through the game - or a couple extra beers to get through watching the match if he’s forced out for the season and has to sit on the sidelines.

We see the glory - we see the amazing feats - the brownlows, the coleman medallists, the rising stars, the comebacks from injury, best on field, heralded retirees.

We see the disgraces - drug abuse, car crashes, drink driving and drunken displays of violence or bad behaviour.

We don’t see the in between What we don’t see is what happens when a player gets home and shuts his door. Nor any other athlete. We might see a pretty little spread in the Herald Sun about Nathan Buckley and his beautiful wife and kids.

We don’t see the injury pain, the battle to come to terms with overnight stardom, the battle to live life on the straight and narrow when every single moment of your life can be captured on film, or the stress when you face selection every week and instant relegation into the seconds and the by lines of the news with every failed hand ball. It’s like Big Brother - we get the daily highlights or the lowlights - we don’t see the struggle in between.

None of the bad stuff that AFL players do is justifiable because of this - but check out the Herald Sun report this week - where apparently one in five Aussies in there mid 20’s suffer depression, anxiety, take illegal drugs, or engage in risky, anti social behaviour. If we apply this cross section of one in five of the AFL players in their mid 20’s what number do we get????

I wish I could say that I don’t idolise the players, that I read all about the smaller triumphs and know about all the players in teams other than my own. But I don’t.I used to but I don’t. I buy AFL branded products, read the back page of the herald sun and watch Before the Game.
When Cousins makes his announcement tomorrow I will be cheering for him and if he makes a comeback next year then I will be there at the ground to support him.

For every boo he gets or every snide comment some other player out there is getting away with living the life he used to - but then again it’s much more fun to laugh it off and bag one of the games most outstanding players as being a once off idiot.

But laugh and maybe your the idiot. I’m sure you respect and love someone that has done things like Cousins - you just don’t know it yet. And People are so good at hiding things maybe you never will.