Ben Affleck Talks About His Addiction
From Jodi Guglielmi @ People: Addiction is a long-running struggle for Ben Affleck — and he’s spoken out about it in the past.
Before entering rehab again on Wednesday, Affleck, 46, had been spotted attending meetings at various treatment centers and working with a sober coach over the last year.
“There’s no shame in getting help,” he wrote in a Facebook post in 2017 after a previous stay in treatment.
Of his new stay in rehab, a source told PEOPLE, “He is seeking treatment. He knew he needed help and was vocal about it.”
“This is a lifelong battle, not one that he takes lightly,” an Affleck friend, who said he’s been in “continual” treatment, previously told PEOPLE.
Affleck’s first time in rehab was in 2001. In March 2017, he announced that he had completed treatment for alcohol addiction a second time.
“I have completed treatment for alcohol addiction; something I’ve dealt with in the past and will continue to confront,” Affleck wrote on Facebook. “I want to live life to the fullest and be the best father I can be. I want my kids to know there is no shame in getting help when you need it, and to be a source of strength for anyone out there who needs help but is afraid to take the first step.”
In November 2017, Affleck ex Jennifer Garner and his brother Casey helped the actor go back into inpatient treatment for a few days.
“He asked for help,” a family source told PEOPLE at the time. “He wants to be sober.”
Affleck has been open in the past about how his father’s alcoholism affected him growing up.
“[My father] was an alcoholic… I did know that as a child. He drank a lot. My father was a — what did they call him — a real alcoholic. He, you know, drank all day, drank every day, and to his credit, he got sober ultimately,” he told Barbara Walters in a 2012 interview. “He’s been sober for several decades, which I think is pretty impressive.”
“[He] turned his life around in a very laudable way,” Affleck told The Mail on Sunday in 2008. “But having such serious addiction issues has a major impact — it colors who you are and becomes a part of you.”
Affleck has credited his brother and best friend Matt Damon for helping him get through the tough times.
“I had good friends. I had Matt Damon, I had my brother, and I had a nucleus of friends that I grew up with and I had support from,” he told Walters.
Affleck has also been able to lean on Garner, 46, for support, despite their pending divorce.
“For Jen, it’s simple. She wants Ben to be the best dad possible to their kids,” Violet, 12, Seraphina, 9 and Samuel, 6, said a family source. “She wants Ben to be healthy.”
On Wednesday, Garner, 46, visited Affleck’s home and drove him to a treatment facility in Malibu.
A source tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue Garner’s focus remains on their children.
Did you know the 12 Steps, which have helped millions find recovery, can also help you find peace and serenity? Check out our latest book, Find Your True Colors In 12-Steps.
The post Ben Affleck Talks About His Addiction appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.
