AFL star Ben Cousins proved his life story has something to say about drug addiction and almost 2 million "listened" to his story when the documentary Such Is Life: The Troubled Times Of Ben Cousins aired on Seven Network.

The documentary is now fueling discussions on drug addiction with some newspapers urging parents to watch the show. In previous interviews, producer Mr. Michael Gudinski said that the Ben Cousins documentary would send a powerful message to young people about drugs.

"When Ben came to me 18 months ago and we talked, I knew he had an important story to tell. The end result is deeply emotional and compelling," Mr. Gudinski said, "It's a cautionary tale - the inside story of a superstar footballer who made some bad choices along the way and ended up in a titanic struggle with drug addiction."

The first part of Such is Life followed Cousins' life up to his AFL suspension in late 2007 and included footage of him smoking drugs.

The documentary was watched by 1.996 million viewers in Australia. The documentary beat its rivals with ABC's The Gruen Transfer coming in second with 1.358 million viewers. The second part of Such Is Life airs tonight.