Australian football stars are unknown in other countries, but at home they're considered princes. And when Australia’s Ben Cousins was arrested this week for drug possession, the media couldn't get enough of the story. Millions of fans wanted to know if he’d be back, but Australian Football League's West Coast Eagles are unlikely to accept Cousins back on the team, saying he had his chance six months ago after spending 28 days in drug rehab.



The 29-year-old Cousins spent 28 days in an expensive California drug rehab clinic back in April, reputedly for methamphetamine addiction. He returned to the Eagles under strict conditions after completing the drug rehab, believed to include a zero tolerance clause to testing positive to banned substances, staying away from underworld figures and not falling foul of the law. In 2005 Cousins and former team-mate Michael Gardiner refused to co-operate with police over their alleged involvement with Perth underworld figures. Cousins had been seen associating with suspected criminals again last year before his drug problems and need for drug rehab became known.

Cousins' trip to the U.S. for drug rehab last April came after Eagles' chairman Dalton Gooding revealed that Cousins had been dropped from the team for failing to complete training requirements. Although Cousins had never tested positive for illicit drugs either before or after his drug rehab program, the champion's father confirmed that his son was battling substance abuse and would be seeking drug rehab. Cousins had already been stripped of the team's captaincy last year after admitting to "errors of judgment", apparently involving drugs and alcohol.

Two weeks ago, he was reported to be with his close friend, former Eagles football legend Chris Mainwaring, just hours before Mainwaring collapsed and died of a heart attack after a weekend binge involving cannabis and ecstasy. Police are still investigating the death. An Eagles spokesman defended Cousins, saying he was trying to help Mainwaring and had brought him some food. Ironically, it was Mainwaring who helped Cousins confront his drug problems and get into drug rehab last April.

But this week, Cousins was pulled over by crime squad detectives in Perth's nightclub district who noticed his car weaving erratically. The car was searched, a quantity of unknown drugs was seized, and the football champion was handcuffed and escorted to a waiting police car. Cousins was also charged with failing to provide a blood sample after the pair were taken in for questioning.

There are few places in the world you can go and not find a local sports hero who has fallen prey to alcohol or drug addiction. But whether you’re a matinee-idol-handsome football star like Ben Cousins, or just a regular person, a few weeks at a drug rehab center may not be all you need to recapture your life. When you come home, you need to avoid the old habits, places and people where temptations abound and drugs are easily obtained. You really need to restructure your approach to life to make it a successful drug rehab program.