Ben Affleck On Alcohol Addiction And When He Began ‘Drinking Too Much’

Ben Affleck spoke about his alcohol addiction and continued recovery in a candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast this week. 

“I started drinking too much around the time of ‘Justice League,’ and it’s a hard thing to confront and face and deal with,” the actor said of the time he “realized I was an alcoholic.”

The “Argo” actor and producer explained that alcohol addiction is extremely prevalent in Hollywood, calling it “the most ordinary thing.” 

“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,” he said. “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 said that he’s “been sober for a while now” and can say that he feels “as healthy and good as I’ve ever felt.” 

“It took me a little while to get it — I had a few slips, like most people — but I feel really good,” the entertainer said. 

In an interview with The New York Times last year, Affleck spoke of one of the most public slip-ups he’s had in recent years, when he was filmed inebriated at a party in 2019.