Ben Affleck admits sobriety relapse: ‘It happens, it’s a slip’
Ben Affleck, who has taken many trips to rehab over the years, apparently stepped off the sobriety wagon at a party over the weekend.
The “Justice League” actor, wearing a suit and a skull mask, had trouble standing and was walking unsteadily while headed to his ride after the UNICEF Masquerade Ball on Saturday in West Hollywood. TMZ captured it all on video.
“It happens, it’s a slip, but I’m not going to let it derail me,” Affleck told cameramen Sunday morning when he was outside what was said to be ex-wife Jennifer Garner’s house.
“Sobriety is difficult for anyone struggling with addiction. Ben has been honest about his recovery and takes it day by day,” a source told ET. “He never said he wouldn’t slip up.”
An Affleck rep had no statement Monday.
The incident came as Affleck, 47, was exposed last week by Page Six as a member of the exclusive, celebrity-friendly dating app Raya.
The A-lister seemingly confirmed his Raya activity in a tweet Saturday, saying on social media, “HA, you got me. I’m dating. But let’s be serious for a moment and talk about something that is actually important. I have been in recovery for over a year and part of that is helping out others.”
The two-time Oscar winner went on to pitch the work of the Midnight Mission, saying he was donating money that day. Among other things, the homeless-services organization helps those without resources as they battle addiction.
“Being an alcoholic, it’s part of my life, it’s something that I deal with,” the actor told the “Today” show in March. “It doesn’t have to subsume my whole identity and be everything, but it is something that you have to work at.”
Affleck most recently went to rehab for alcohol abuse in 2018. He also sought treatment in 2001 and 2017, and first attempted sobriety in the 1990s.
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