In a raw and candid interview Ben Affleck admitted that he is an alcoholic who has relapsed several times and said his divorce from actress Jen Garner is his “biggest regret” in life.
Speaking to The New York Times, Affleck admitted his alcohol addiction compounded his marital issues.
The former "Batman" star, who has been in and out of rehab over the years, said he was not overdrinking until around 2015, when the cracks in their relationship began to show. That was when Affleck turned increasingly to alcohol to cope.
"People with compulsive behavior, and I am one, have this kind of basic discomfort all the time that they’re trying to make go away," Affleck told the outlet.
"You’re trying to make yourself feel better with eating or drinking or sex or gambling or shopping or whatever. But that ends up making your life worse. Then you do more of it to make that discomfort go away. Then the real pain starts. It becomes a vicious cycle you can’t break."
Affleck and Garner separated in 2015 and three years later were divorced. Affleck admitted he felt guilt over the split.
"The biggest regret of my life is this divorce," revealed the 47-year-old Oscar winner. The same year the divorce was finalized, Affleck entered rehab, according to Fox News.
He began to address his demons head-on, but said it was the sense of shame he struggled with most.
"Shame is really toxic. There is no positive byproduct of shame," he said. "It’s just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low self-worth and self-loathing."
Affleck said he was eventually able to let go of those negative emotions after realizing it was not healthy for him to obsess over his failures and relapses, which he was beating himself up over.
"I have certainly made mistakes. I have certainly done things that I regret," he said. "But you’ve got to pick yourself up, learn from it, learn some more, try to move forward."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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