Ben Affleck Says He Started Drinking Because He Was ‘Trapped’ In Marriage To Jennifer Garner
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Ben Affleck has spoken out about his marriage to Jennifer Garner and claimed his feeling of being ‘trapped’ was ‘part’ of the reason why he began drinking.
Affleck and Garner married in 2005 before welcoming three children; Violet, 16, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, 9.
They announced their split one day after their 10th anniversary, but it wasn’t until 2018 that they finalised their divorce and legally went their separate ways.
Affleck opened up about the relationship during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show on Monday, December 13, where he expressed the belief that he and Garner did everything they could to keep their marriage together, but ultimately it just didn’t work out.
Speaking to the radio host, the actor said: ‘We had a marriage that didn’t work, this happens, with somebody that I love and respect, but to whom I shouldn’t be married any longer. Ultimately, we tried. We tried, we tried because we had kids. Both of us felt like we don’t want this to be the model that our kids see of marriage’
Had the pair not broken up, Affleck told Stern he would ‘probably still be drinking‘, adding: ‘It’s part of why I started drinking… because I was trapped.’
Affleck has gone to rehab for alcohol addiction a number of times over the years, People reports, including in 2001, 2017 and 2018, when he and Garner finalised their divorce.
Reflecting on his thoughts during the marriage, Affleck said: ‘I was like ‘I can’t leave ’cause of my kids, but I’m not happy, what do I do?’ What I did was drink a bottle of scotch and fall asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution.’
Though only Affleck knows what was going through his mind at the time, social media users have criticised the actor for apparently placing blame on his ex-wife for his addiction, with one person writing: ‘Ben Affleck is absolutely pathetic for blaming his drinking problem on Jennifer Garner.’
Despite having broken up, Affleck and Garner appear to now be on good terms, with the latter having joined Affleck and his current partner Jennifer Lopez to go trick-or-treating with their children on Halloween.
A source cited by People claimed that ‘everyone gets along and the focus is always on the kids’.
They continued: ‘Jennifer, Ben and Jen Garner all wanted the kids to have an amazing Halloween. The kids are friends and wanted to go trick-or-treating together. It made sense that they all went together.’
Affleck began dating Lopez earlier this year after the pair previously broke off their engagement in 2004.
If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support
