9 Things Ben Affleck Has Said About Sobriety

After drinking for years, Ben Affleck decided to stop consuming alcohol around the time his and Matt Damon's Good Will Hunting reached success in 1997.

"I just wanted to stop. I started regretting some things I did when I was drunk. It's funny to be obnoxious or out of control, but then it's like, 'I think I hurt that person's feelings,' 'I made a fool of myself' or 'I didn't want to kiss that girl,'" Affleck said in a 1998 interview. "I have almost no inhibitions, so it's dangerous for me."

In 2001, the Gone Girl actor completed his 30-day rehab program in Malibu, Calif., following his years-long struggles with his alcoholism. He spoke with The Hollywood Reporter in 2012 and shared his progress a decade after the stay.

"I went to rehab for being 29 and partying too much and not having a lot of boundaries and to clear my head and try to get some idea of who I wanted to be. It was more a 'let me get myself straight' before it became a rite of passage," he said.

In an Instagram post in October 2018, Affleck announced he completed his third rehab session with the help of his family.

"As I’ve had to remind myself, if you have a problem, getting help is a sign of courage, not weakness or failure," said the Daredevil star. "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."

In his 2020 interview with The New York Times, The Accountant star spoke candidly about his continuous journey with sobriety.

"It’s not particularly healthy for me to obsess over the failures — the relapses — and beat myself up," he said. "I have certainly made mistakes. I have certainly done things that I regret. But you’ve got to pick yourself up, learn from it, learn some more, try to move forward."

The Way Back actor had a sit-down interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America in 2020, where he discussed his goal not to let his children "pay for" his "sins."

"I took the last half of the year off. And I just got to be dad. Drive them to school, pick them up. Go to the swim meet," he said of his journey.

Appearing in a January 2021 episode of The Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast, Affleck spoke candidly about working in Batman and Justice League amid his battle with alcoholism.

"I did Batman because I wanted to do it for my kids. I wanted to do something my son would do. I mean, my kids didn’t see Argo," he said. "I started drinking too much around the time of Justice League, and it’s a hard thing to confront and face and deal with. I’ve been sober for a while now, and I feel really good — as healthy and good as I’ve ever felt."

Affleck participated in an interview on The Howard Stern Show in 2021 where he claimed he would probably still be drinking if he and Jennifer Garner had not gotten a divorce.

"That was part of why I started drinking alcohol — I was trapped," he said of his marriage and alcoholism. "I was like, 'I can't leave because of my kids, but I am not happy. What do I do?' What I did was drink a bottle of scotch on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution."

The Tender Bar actor, who has sparked fears he might relapse amid marital woes with Jennifer Lopez, opened up to WSJ Magazine in December 2021 regarding the things that inspired him to get sober.

"There's a lot that I would want my younger self to understand. Some things, honestly, that I'm too self-conscious of or shy about to be really candid about with the whole world because they're mostly mistakes," he said. "Things I wish I had done differently, and they're rooted in that instinct to look at my past and think, I wish I could have avoided this painful event.' I wish I could have not caused someone else pain. I wish I had understood better the nature of what was difficult about life for me."

Affleck later noted that the only cure for alcoholism was suffering, and it was something that helped him get sober, too.

In March, the Batman v Superman star told The Hollywood Reporter how his recovery has made people reach out to him.

"[And] it makes me feel so good to do that. The big trick of 12-step is the reason they want you to help other people is because it actually helps you more. And often what I’ll say to people is, I would avoid [your addiction] coming out if I were you. You don’t need to be anybody’s poster child," said Affleck. "You don’t need to f------ tell anybody. That’s why there’s two words on the front of the book. They’re just as important, both of them: Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s always anonymous."