Ben Affleck Breaks Silence After “Slip” In Sobriety

Ben Affleck is addressing his missteps.

Over the weekend, the Oscar winner raised concerns about his sobriety when TMZ posted a video of him, clad in a Halloween mask, stumbling as he made his way to the passenger door of a parked SUV. Now, he’s speaking out about the incident. ”Well, you know, it happens,” he told paparazzi while heading into ex Jennifer Garner‘s home. “It’s a slip, but I’m not going to let it derail me.”

Indeed, the 47-year-old is looking to come out of this stronger. ”Sobriety is difficult and elusive for everyone struggling with addiction and Ben has acknowledged he’s going to slip up from time to time,” a source previously told E! News. ”It was never as if this was simply behind him.”

Next, with help from his sober coach, he plans to get right back on track, a second insider shared. ”He’s very committed to his recovery and knows he used bad judgement,” the source added. “He is facing the music and dealing with it. These things can happen but he regrets the choices he made. He wants to be better for his kids and intends to be.”

Affleck’s slip-up comes just one day after he opened up about his recovery on Instagram. While poking fun at headlines about his private life, the superstar took a moment to promote a great cause.

“HA, you got me. I’m dating,” he shared with his 4 million followers. “But let’s be serious for a moment and talk about something that is actually important. I have been in recovery for over a year and part of that is helping out others. @themidnightmission is an incredible organization that helps those in need with housing, training, development and recovery. I’m making a donation today because there are people battling addiction every day that don’t have the resources and need help. @raya, you in? Who else is with me?”

Back in August 2018, following an intervention staged by Garner, the Justice League actor entered rehab for the third time. ”Ben was having a really tough time,” a source told E! News at the time. “He continues to battle addiction. He reached out for help.”

Months later, the star, while in out-patient care, shared a candid post about his struggle.

“This week I completed a forty day stay at a treatment center for alcohol addiction and remain in outpatient care,” he wrote on Instagram. “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,” he continued. “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.”