Ben Affleck admits to sobriety 'slip': 'I'm not going to let it derail me'
Ben Affleck has admitted to a sobriety “slip.”
After video footage showed him being unsteady on his feet leaving the UNICEF Masquerade Ball in West Hollywood, Calif., on Saturday, he admitted that he had fallen off the wagon. However, the actor, who has been candid about his nearly two-decade struggle with alcohol, said he won’t let it “derail” his efforts to stay sober.
Amid the buzz that he’s been dating again, Affleck attended the charity event at Kimpton La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood. When he left, accompanied by an unidentified blonde, Affleck, who had on a skeleton mask along with a suit, was stumbling around and fell over into an SUV while trying to find his own ride.
Despite his unsteadiness, the night didn’t end for the former Batman. He and his date went to Commerce Casino and she watched him play poker, TMZ reported. While an eyewitness said the star “almost fell off his chair he was so inebriated,” he gambled for 12 minutes and made $1500.
However, by Sunday Affleck, 47, appeared sober and serious outside of Jennifer Garner’s house. On his way in to likely to visit with their three children, he was asked by paparazzi about his wild night out and was gracious in answering.
“Well, ya know, it happens,” he replied calmly, adding, “It’s a slip, but I’m not going to let it derail me.”
He was also asked if he’d be checking back into rehab, but didn’t answer, instead saying, “Thank you very much, guys.”
You may remember that Garner, whom he split from after a decade of marriage in 2015, was instrumental in getting him to go to rehab last year. She actually drove him to the inpatient treatment facility in August 2018 after he had been photographed receiving an alcohol delivery outside of his home during a fling with Playboy Playmate Shauna Sexton, whom Affleck dated briefly during a breakup with Saturday Night Live booker Lindsay Shookus. Garner and Affleck finalized their divorce after he completed his a 40-day stay rehab in October 2018.
That was Affleck’s third stint in rehab. He was also in inpatient rehab in 2017 and 2001.
Last week it was reported that Affleck had started dating again using the Raya app, which is a members-only networking app for celebrities, athletes and high-profile individuals to connect. On Saturday — before his “slip”— Affleck confirmed it via social media, but asked his followers to focus on something “actually important.” He then talked about his sobriety — “I have been in recovery for over a year and part of that is helping out others” — and asked people to donate to the Midnight Mission charity — to help “people battling addiction every day that don’t have the resources and need help.”
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