OPINION: This year I will mark 10 years of having worked for the Fraser Coast Chronicle.

Not once in all those years have I been told not to take drugs.

There has never been a special meeting or seminar to remind me that it's a bad life choice.

That's right; all these years, I've had to figure it out for myself.

I've never had a chaperone follow me around on a night out either to make sure I didn't do the wrong thing.

For four years before that I worked at a pub in Morisset while I attended university.

There was no meeting about the danger of drugs there either and certainly my aunt and uncle, for whom I worked at the time, wouldn't have been too keen on following me around in the wee hours of the morning to make sure I didn't consume illicit substances.

That is why in recent weeks I've been left a bit stunned and baffled as drug controversies have rocked the NRL and head honchos such a chief executive officer Todd Greenberg have been forced to come out and say that they believe players get enough drug education.

Surely all the players know that certain substances are illegal and it could get them into a fair bit of trouble if they consume them.

They are aware they could be drug tested at any time.

It blows my mind that the NRL have to spend money to "educate" players and raise awareness that taking drugs is a bad choice.

If my contract worth hundreds of thousands of dollars would be ripped up because I made a choice to take drugs, that would be all the deterrence I would need.

I'm sick of the media focusing on whether it has been made clear enough to NRL players that they can't take drugs.

They are grown men, if they can't figure it out for themselves then I can only shake my head.

There's been some suggestion that maybe chaperones should accompany players on a night out.

Two of the players who have been faced with allegations of cocaine use in recent weeks are 28 years old.

They are also leaders of the game, one being the captain of the New Zealand national side and the other the former co-captain of Gold Coast Titans.

Do these players really need a chaperone?

Or do we just have to accept that despite all the information on offer, despite having plenty of incentives not to take recreational drugs, some players will still do the wrong thing,

That is not the fault of the NRL or the education system they have in place.

It comes down to the individual taking some responsibility and doing the right thing.

It's time for players to be held accountable.