He is facing 12 charges of breaching a family violence restraining order, along with a count each of aggravated stalking and threatening to injure, endanger or harm.
CHEEKY.
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Family values, Brian Lake style.
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When are the idiot authorities who continually give him his freedom going to figure out what is going on in the guyâs head and leave him in a locked facility. Whatever mental health issues he had previously simply are continuing to escalate beyond the pale. The drugs Ben likes and takes which are not only highly addictive and provoke violence but also put the body into full on flight/fight response.
This means he is in survivor mode (unlike on the football field.) He is at his most dangerous aspect of self, he is not in the frontal cortex that part of his brain is turned off. He is cold, calculating and primed for the kill. He is NOT open to reason, he is NOT capable of logical and reasonable thought processes. This is obvious from his continued anti social behaviour.
Knowing this WHY do the authorities not keep him confined for his own safety and the safety of the others? They know the moment they let him out on bail he will go and score and of course Ben knows where to go and where to obtain whatever he wants. The moment he does score, he is a danger to all around him because of this destructive behaviour particularly, his wife and children. It is a very sad fall from grace but I wonder if he was NOT the great Ben Cousins the footballer, if he would get as many liberties.
I feel for the Cousins family, Benâs partner and children and their friends, I have some understanding of what they are going through. I have a daughter doing much the same thing. There is NO way to help her through this crazy maize. I wonder if she will ever experience the readiness of wanting to change and how what she does affects her children and family members. She has no empathy and takes no responsibility for her behaviours she seems to have no memory of her behaviours either. Until youâve personally experienced this in your life, you have no idea what it is like to live with it.
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I agree with that, I was more pointing out the lighthearted headline vs what is reality.
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Apes probably have a lot more sense and empathy I would say.
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I sympathize with you.
But in the mid brain is where an addicts problem truly lies. In the more primal part of the brain where the power of choice exists.
Pleasure unwoven is a doco by a doctor,who is an addict himself,prove why addiction should be considered a disease.
I donât think drug users can be caged for ever here in WA. We will lock you up for most things, particularly if youâre aboriginal but not indefinitely for drug use.
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the problem is in Australia we completely dismantled the Mental Health System which is a specialist field and something needs to be done to rectify that.
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Yep the role of Amygdala cannot be denied either. Lets call it our emotional memory recorder but also plays a role in anger and has a role to play in the activation of the flight/fight system.
I agree it is an illness and should be treated as such but when people are considered and known to be dangerous special attention needs to be taken and at times lock up protection is necessary.
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Saddened to hear this, Mdso.
I hear the frustration here. Are there truly no options available (legit question)?
I used to listen to a fantastic evening radio program on Monday evenings (on SEN) during my drive home from the Tokyo megalopolis. It was hosted by Mark Fine. âEvenings with Fineyâ - was the standard program, however, they held a special program on Mon evenings with Gavin Grosisca & Mick Hall - called âThe Right Timeâ. It was a truly incredible program. I reckon they saved a few callers (who were on the brink) from disaster. Sadly, when Craig Hutchinson bought out SEN, Finey was sacked and the program ended. Saying that, I still think there are plenty of amazing people and programs out there to help those suffering from addiction. But, yes, they need to be ready - as you said.
I am personally toying with the idea of offering Zen Buddhist meditation sessions, in conjunction with food/nutritional programs, etc to help anyone in need going forward (at my pad in Japan). I am still working on it, but am fairly confident that I will start something within the next 6-12 months. Letâs keep in touch, although what I have in mind may be well outside the scope of helping those with serious drug addictions. I am prepared to try, though.
I am not in favour of (prison) incarceration of those suffering from mental health issues - or drug issues - related to mental health issues - if they havenât committed a serious crime. Incarceration itself is only a temporary fix. Sure, it may offer ST community protection, but how is it a LT solution?
Anyway, good discussion. I have some personal experience in this area, Mdso, so if you wanna take it offline, feel free to PM me. Otherwise, letâs keep the discussion rolling in thread.
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You are right.
And it should be treated as a health issue, before a moral one.
But when the health of the community outweighs the health of the addicted individual because of their behavior, they must be separated from that community.
Just a case of what kind of institution.
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Thatâs an interesting point a lot of people make. I assume by serious crime you mean violent crimes, and not posession. FWIW you rarely find people in prison just for posession charges these days. Theyâre in for crimes related to funding their habits, in which they often resort to armed burglaries and the like.
Mental illness is a huge issue. The government closing asylums/psych facilities all those years ago was a big mistake. It effectively leaves these people to commit crimes (and get on drugs) as theyâre not being treated and/or managed properly, thus they unfortunately become dangerous. This is when the prison cycle starts, because realistically, the safety of society must trump the downfall of an individual.
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I wish Ben all the best and hopefully he can finally get his life back on track.
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Definitely not jail although, often, thatâs where people end up. All that does is makes jails more dangerous than they already can be.
John Rain - it is an impossible situation. My daughter is 45 was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, two years ago and also is ADHD. She took herself off all the meds, she said because of the side effects and decided to medicate herself. Her highs and lows are unbearable for her and everyone around her and the mood swings make her very unstable, angry and unpredictable.
Then she got onto pills and ice. She has been on drugs for sometime now. She switches on to violence and explodes. Recently, she kicked her 16 year old son in the back and broke his ribs. I wanted to press charges but the rest of the family did not. She has been sleeping on friendâs couches and in her car which ended about six weeks ago, when she drove the car into a concrete wall on the highway and wrote it off. She said she fell asleep I donât know its that true or false because her reality is so different to ours. She spent a few days in hospital by the time family were notified, she had discharged herself and disappeared. She occasionally rings someone but doesnât tell anyone where she is. Nor does she answer her phone. So she is NOT a missing person. It is a terrible situation we find ourselves in and sometimes we feel utterly helpless but; weâve been told and understand that we cannot save her from herself.
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Iâm very sorry for you, I have seen this through a friend and itâs horrific. As a father myself I can barley imagine the pain you must be experiencing. I sincerely wish you the best.
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I canât imagine what it is like to live this situation MDSO. I also wish you all the very best and hope that miraculously this turns around for you and your family.
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I think you were right to want to press charges. Sounds like she is a danger to herself and others and the best thing you can do for her would be to have her arrested.
I have two young boys and the thought of something similar to this is too horrifying to properly imagine. My heart goes out to you, an others in similar situations, in many ways this would be almost soul destroying.
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Heartbreaking situation for you & your fam, Mdso. Very few words can be conveyed without sounding trite. The violence you described is horrific. Perhaps, it is time to arrange a family intervention. Please be sure to look after your own health as well.
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