BEN AFFLECK One year sober
After a tumultuous few months, the actor’s personal and professional lives are on the mend
It’s been a month of major milestones for Ben Affleck. On August 15 he turned 47, and on August 22 he celebrated one year of sobriety. “Ben is in a great place both in his recovery and life,” says a source close to the Oscar winner. Affleck, who has called addiction “a lifelong and difficult struggle’’, entered rehab last August, when his ex, Jennifer Garner, was seen driving him to a treatment centre.
“He is very open about how challenging it is for him and works on his sobriety daily,” says another insider. “Ben thinks of alcoholism as a disease – you shouldn’t
be ashamed of a disease.”
Things have also been going well for him on the home front. Single after an April split with Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus, Affleck has spent most of the summer with his and Garner’s kids, Violet, 13, Seraphina, 10, and Samuel, 7. They were spotted vacationing on Cape Cod in July, and singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Affleck on August 24 at LA restaurant Barton G. “The kids have had a great summer,” adds the insider. “They have sleepovers at his house, and he takes them out for fun activities.”
His relationship with Garner, 47, is in a good place. “They both take their job as co-parents very seriously,” says the insider. “While sober, Ben is able to spend more quality time with the kids. It’s exactly how Jen wants things to be.”
The Affleck source adds he’s intent on remaining a good father and friend. “Ben has found balance between his work and home life. He remains committed to a number of wellness methods that focus on his health.”