Ben Affleck Opens Up: Navigating Sobriety in the Public Eye
Celebrity, Sobriety and Second Chances
From Hollywood to hometowns, alcoholism is a pervasive challenge touching the lives of both everyday individuals and celebrities alike. Highly acclaimed American actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck was born in 1972 and has undergone numerous accomplishments. He received one of his most notable achievements when he and Matt Damon secured an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for their work on the 1997 film "Good Will Hunting," a movie in which they also starred. Furthermore, Affleck's talents were recognized with a BAFTA Award for Best Director and Best Picture
In addition to his professional accomplishments, Ben Affleck has been candid about his personal struggles, particularly his battle with alcoholism. He has openly shared the challenges he faced while trying to maintain sobriety.
In an interview with Brooks Barns, a reporter from The New York Times, Ben Affleck opens up about his separation from Jennifer Garner, the mother of their three children. He reveals that, although he had previously consumed alcohol in a relatively typical manner for an extended period, it was as his marriage began to unravel that he resorted to excessive drinking, creating even more marital problems. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, marital conflict is one of the most common problems that arises when one of the parties falls into excessive drinking.
Affleck acknowledges the unwavering support of his sober A-list friends, Bradley Cooper and Robert Downey Jr., expressing deep gratitude for their friendship. He continues difficulty explaining the unhealthiness of obsessing over failures and shame, stating that it is something he has wrestled with many times. “There is no good that comes from beating yourself up over relapses and mistakes” he states, continuing to say that all you can really do is pick yourself up, learn from your mistakes and try to move forward rather than dwelling on the past.
Affleck regrettably discusses how his relapse was embarrassing enough for him to deal with alone, and that it being displayed all over the internet for his kids to see was something he wished wouldn’t have happened seeing that it only made it harder on him.
The internet makes it difficult for celebrities to move on with their past mistakes seeing that their regrets are open for the whole world to see with just a simple click of a button. This type of exposure can result in public backlash, damage to their careers, reminders, and a constant sense of guilt for mistakes they want to put behind them. The invasion of privacy can make it challenging for celebrities to want to share personal and emotional experiences, which is what makes Affleck’s truthfulness about his struggles so commendable.
Affleck discusses going to rehab for alcoholism several times, starting in 2001, and later in 2017 and 2018. He admits that his greatest challenge was repeating the same mistakes and struggling to ask for help. Affleck stresses that relapse is a part of the recovery process and that is important to seek help when needed.
There are many other well-known celebrities who have also struggled with alcoholism and decided to openly speak about their sobriety and share their experiences. These celebrities include Demi Lovato, Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Simpson, and even Elton John who has sponsored Eminem on his path to recovery. Brad Pitt is another notable figure who has actively worked to reduce the stigma surrounding addiction, encouraging those in need to seek help.
While all these celebrities have been on talk shows and have done interviews about their struggles, Affleck is an interesting case in the sense that he discusses different areas of his life that alcoholism has affected. From his marriage, his kids, as well as his own view of himself. These are all struggles that individuals with alcoholism may deal with and are all points Affleck has opened up about during interviews.
One of the most crucial topics that Affleck discusses is the cycle of alcoholism. Affleck states that his family had a history of alcohol abuse and that his own childhood trauma of watching his dad drink played a hand in his own drinking. His grandmother as well, had struggled for a long time with alcoholism and ultimately took her own life with alcohol and pills. After falling down the rabbit hole himself, Affleck realized he needed to make a change for both himself and others.
Should you, a family member or even a friend find yourselves struggling to cope with alcoholism or feeling hopeless, remember that there are others who have gone down a similar path. Recognize that even celebrities have struggled with alcoholism, with some opting to share their experiences to help and support your journey to sobriety.
If you are interested in any topics to do with alcohol whether it is research funding, clinical research, alcohol interventions for young adults or any additional reports and research, please refer below.
I think that this is an excellent substack article because it looks at the vulnerability of people who are in the public eye which could cause a great deal of stress and perhaps is the reason many celebrities succumb to alcoholism