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Ben Affleck openly spoke up about his journey with sobriety during an appearance on The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast. Throughout their discussion, the actor also explained his take on drinking culture in Hollywood, explaining that alcohol addiction is “the most ordinary thing.”
Keep reading for more details.
The Argo actor explained what drinking is like in Hollywood, "If you knew how many actors and directors and writers were alcoholics or compulsive in some way — I mean, it’s the most ordinary thing in the world in Hollywood."
"I’ve worked with actors who showed up drunk! And that was not me. I drank, like, alone in my living room and just passed out, like, with scotch. But I got sober," he continued.
During their conversation, Affleck also said that he's "been sober for a while now," which has helped him feel "as healthy and good as [he's] ever felt."
However, that does not mean that Affleck has not had any slip ups."It took me a little while to get it — I had a few slips, like most people — but I feel really good," he said.
This is not the first time that Affleck has spoken up about his sobriety journey, or the difficulties that he's faced in getting healthier.
During a February 2020 interview with The New York Times, he explained, "It's not particularly healthy for me to obsess over the failures — the relapses — and beat myself up. 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."
He added, "Relapse is embarrassing, obviously."
During that interview, the producer also commented on a video of him being inebriated at a party in 2019: "I wish it didn’t happen. I really wish it wasn’t on the internet for my kids to see."
