Ben Affleck opens up about alcoholism amid renewed romance
In an interview on 'Today,' actor-director Ben Affleck opened up about his battle with alcoholism and what he is doing to work on his health and sobriety. Affleck said he feels it is important as a public figure to be forthcoming about his battle with addiction in hopes of helping others overcome stigmas surrounding the disease. He also revealed the difficulties of trying ex Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez's 10-day challenge to cut out carbs and sugar.
Ben Affleck is working on his health and sobriety — and he may be doing so with "Saturday Night Live" producer Lindsay Shookus by his side.
The actor opened up about his battle with alcoholism on Monday and was forthcoming about his recovery process.
“It doesn’t really bother me to talk about alcoholism and being an alcoholic. It’s part of my life," the Oscar winner said on "Today." "It’s something that I deal with. It doesn’t have to sort of subsume my whole identity and be everything, but it is something that you know you have to work at."
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Ben Affleck and Lindsay Shookus attend the premiere of his movie "Triple Frontier" together after splitting apart last year in New York. This is the first official the pair attending together after splitting last year. (Splash News)
Affleck, 46, said he felt it was important as a public figure to be forthcoming about his battle with addiction in hopes of helping others overcome stigmas surrounding the disease.
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“I feel like I had a problem and I really want to address it, and I take some pride in that … bits about yourself, your life, your family, and you know people — we encounter these kinds of hurdles and we have to deal with them,” he said.
Affleck entered rehab for the third time in August 2018, reportedly following an intervention from ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
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The actor-director also revealed that he tried out ex Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez's 10-day challenge to cut out carbs and sugar.
“It was a little bit tough, but I did it," he said. "It’s awful for the first couple of days because I am definitely somebody who likes bread and sugar … it’s terrible, you get through it and you’re like I feel pretty good. Of course, by the end of ten days, I had three bagels."
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On Sunday night, Affleck was joined by on-again girlfriend Shookus at the New York City premiere for "Triple Frontier."
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The pair, who split last summer, have reportedly been back on for a few months and recently enjoyed a dinner date in Los Angeles.
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