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Ben Affleck admits to a common struggle in recovery: ‘I slipped’
After one year of sobriety — and one day after appearing almost falling-down-drunk while heading to a Hollywood Halloween party — Ben Affleck admitted that he suffered a relapse.
The actor and director also vowed he wouldn’t let his relapse get him discouraged from continuing to work on his recovery.
“It happens. It was a slip. But I’m not going to let it derail me,” Affleck, 47, said to TMZ as he arrived at the home of his ex-wife Jenner Garner Sunday.
On Saturday night, Affleck was recorded on video by TMZ leaving a hotel for the UNICEF Masquerade Ball in West Hollywood. Wearing a dark suit and Halloween skull mask over his face, Affleck appeared to have trouble walking. In fact, he nearly fell at one point and used the side of an SUV to steady himself before continuing to walk to another waiting vehicle.
Ben Affleck in Halloween party on saturday night in Los Angeles 26.10.2019 pic.twitter.com/VMXxiTNv7K
A source close to Affleck told People that it wasn’t easy for the “Gone Girl” actor to admit that he had slipped.
“You could tell that it wasn’t an easy thing for him, but Ben owned his mistake,” the source said. “He said it happens, that he slipped up but that it won’t happen again. It was a smart move because now the story is basically over.”
Indeed, relapse is very common for people trying to recover from alcohol and drug addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that 40 to 60 percent of people who go through treatment programs have at least one relapse. In fact, because of the chronic nature of addiction, many people have multiple setbacks before finally achieving a full recovery.
“Sobriety is difficult and elusive for everyone struggling with addiction,” a friend of Affleck’s previously told People. “Ben has acknowledged he’s going to slip up from time to time. It was never as if this was simply behind him.”
Hours ahead of the ball, the actor took to Instagram to address being in recovery for a year, while making a joke about a Page Six report that he was using the dating app Raya to find women to date.
“HA, you got me. I’m dating,” Affleck wrote. “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.”
Affleck then talked up The Midnight Mission, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that helps homeless people get substance abuse treatment and other services so that they can become self-sufficient.
“@themidnightmission is an incredible organization that helps those in need with housing, training, development and recovery,” Affleck continued. “I’m making a donation today because there are people battling addiction every day that don’t have the resources and need help.”
Affleck then referenced the dating app, on which he created a dating profile, according to Page Six: “@raya, you in? Who else is with me? Click the link in my bio to donate.”
A post shared by THE MIDNIGHT MISSION (@themidnightmission) on Oct 26, 2019 at 10:21am PDT
Affleck has been in rehab multiple times, most famously in August 2018. After Garner staged an intervention on her then-estranged husband, she was photographed driving him to a Malibu treatment center. Affleck stayed at the center until October 2018, though he took breaks to work out at home and attend business meetings.
After Affleck left the center, he opened up about longstanding problems with alcohol, writing on Instagram: “This week I completed a forty-day stay at a treatment center for alcohol addiction and remain in outpatient care. Battling any addiction is a lifelong and difficult struggle. Because of that, one is never really in or out of treatment. It is a full-time commitment. I am fighting for myself and my family.”
Affleck’s family includes his three children with Garner: Samuel, 7, Seraphina, 10, and Violet, 13. The former Hollywood super couple finalized their divorce in October 2018 after three years of separation. Garner has publicly supported Affleck in his recovery, and the two are committed to co-parenting their children.
An addiction specialist, writing a blog post for the non-profit recovery organization Smart Recovery, said that it is common for people who suffer a relapse to feel guilt, shame and humiliation. But rather than get mired in those feelings, a person can channel them into motivation to get back on track, the post said.
It’s also important for the person to get support from an addiction counselor, recovery coach or sponsor, the post said. “Prepare yourself for a difficult conversation; admitting you slipped up will be difficult and humbling,” the post said.
A person who has relapsed should also reach out to loved ones, which can be difficult if the person has hurt friends and family members in the past, the post said. “But support from the most important people in your life is critically important if you want to recover for good,” the post said. “When you approach loved ones, do so honestly and make sure you intend to go through with whatever you promise to do.”
It appears that Affleck was reaching out to loved ones by turning up at Garner’s house on Sunday.
It’s not known though whether he will return to rehab, TMZ said. Returning to rehab, or seeking other after-care services, depends on the severity of the relapse, the blog post said.
Whether “the relapse consisted of a few hours or a few days, you may be able to veer back to your recovery path somewhat seamlessly,” the blog post said. “Think of relapse as a stepping stone. Instead of viewing your slip as a step backward, think of it as a progression on your road to recovery.”
