Ben Affleck seems to have relapsed at a Halloween party last night. TMZ spotted Affleck in a skull mask leaving the Unicef Masquerade ball at La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood. In the video above, Affleck struggles to maintain his balance while walking and uses an SUV for support. Affleck’s struggles with sobriety are public knowledge. He’s gone to rehab several times. His most recent rehab came in August 2018, when ex-wife Jennifer Garner drove him to a Malibu facility. Affleck has been working with a sober living coach and seemed to have been doing well until last night’s party.
Affleck completed a 40-day rehab program. After, he released a statement on his sobriety struggles:
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“This week I completed a forty day stay at a treatment center for alcohol addiction and remain in outpatient care. The support I have received from my family, colleagues and fans means more to me than I can say. It’s given me the strength and support to speak about my illness with others. 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. So many people have reached out on social media and spoken about their own journeys with addiction. To those people, I want to say thank you. Your strength is inspiring and is supporting me in ways I didn’t think was possible. It helps to know I am not alone. As I’ve had to remind myself, if you have a problem, getting help is a sign of courage, not weakness or failure. With acceptance and humility, I continue to avail myself with the help of so many people and I am grateful to all those who are there for me. I hope down the road, I can offer an example to others who are struggling.”
The statement came the day before Affleck and Garner finalized their divorce. Since then, Affleck rekindled his friendship with Kevin Smith in time to appear in Smith’s new film the Jay & Silent Bob Reboot. The two reconnected after an entertainment journalist intervened.
“After a long beat of wondering how he’d receive this, my estranged friend wrote back as only he could: ‘Of course you still liken yourself to a king,’ he joked,” Smith said in a social media post. “And then ‘Would be a pleasure to see you again, Old Man.’ So naturally, weepy me – who breaks down emotionally during comic book flicks – was a blubbery mess. Not only did we score an amazing scene for the flick, but I also got my friend back – all because of entertainment journalism.”
Affleck has not commented on the incident at this time.
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