Ben Affleck has just announced on Facebook that he has completed rehab for alcohol addiction. This may be confirmation of a blind item which Lainey Gossip published last week which many of you believed was about Ben. He writes that he wanted to be a good example for his kids and he calls Jen his “co-parent” and thanks her for supporting them and taking care of the kids while he was away. It’s all rather dignified.
I quit drinking nine months ago so I could be a better mom and person and it’s one of the hardest and best things I’ve ever done. I was a daily drinker and thought there was a release in that but until I gave it up I didn’t really know what freedom was. It’s hard not to drink or do drugs when they’re a crutch for you and it’s hard to realize you’ve been living a lie and that you have to make changes. I know Ben self sabotages, I know he makes obviously poor decisions, and drinking was part of that for him. This isn’t his first stint in rehab, he went back in 2001 but started drinking again and probably thought he could control it. Hopefully this is a new path for him and he can stay sober for himself and for his family. I don’t have any snark for that, it’s a hard thing to admit and to do. It’s also smart of him to make the announcement himself and to get ahead of the story. Also, now the latest round of “will they or won’t they” get divorced makes a lot more sense. I wonder what the next phase will be like for him and maybe he’s wondering that too.
photos credit: WENN, FameFlynet
No snark. I hope he stays dedicated to this path. Good for him.
Thanks for sharing your story, CB.
Yes, CB, thanks for sharing your story. I do not have a taste for alcohol, but my sister married and divorced an alcoholic when I was a teenager and I still remember how awful it was when they visited, which was a lot.
I hope Ben can continue down a path of healing. I would think it would be easy to say you tried to stop once and failed so no point in trying rehab again. I am proud of him for making the hard decision for his family.
Congrats to you CB! If this is something that makes you feel more present in your life then rock on.
Years ago I realized I was taking heavy anti-psychotic medication whenever I felt a twinge of anything other than “happy”. Traffic, deadlines at work, a disagreement with a family member, anything that moved the needle away from happy made me run to the pills. I quit for various reasons and it took almost 2 years to learn how to regulate my own emotions. It was a hard slog but I am much more capable of handling life than I used to be.
You guys are inspiring me. Thanks for your honesty! For me it’s food and Facebook…no joke. No shade. Masking the pain/boredom/loneliness/insecurity with anything but mindfulness and honesty. I’m excited about not doing that and being real with myself.
Good. If he’s putting in the work for his family there’s no snark here. That’s three kids that will benefit from a better dad
Good for Ben, and good for you, CB! I gave up drinking five years ago for similar reasons and it was easier than I thought, I didn’t miss it at all. I guess I am lucky. But in the past year I started to try drinking again very occasionally, I guess for social reasons, and have decided I’m still better off without it, especially with teenagers who are constantly bombarded with the message that drinking is cool and the only way to have fun. So it’s back to the alcohol free life for me again.
Amen and me too. I’m not as far into my sobriety and some days are easier than others, but overall it has been physically easier than I thought. Fortunately I have had years of yoga and meditation to teach me how my mind likes to mess with me, so I have some space between my thoughts and feelings. And kava tea, plenty of sleep and a nutritious diet are helpful in supporting an alcohol-free life! I feel like I am learning of more and more women (moms especially) who have decided to step away from alcohol for these reasons. I follow Erin Brown on FB and Insta and she just recently made this announcement as well. I believe and hope that our culture is shifting from “moms who like to wine” to mindful, sober moms. I have no issue with alcohol, just the ways I was using it and see some other moms do so too.
Yoga and meditation FTW! Namaste. Congrats on your journey through sobriety. *hugs*
Thank you! I really appreciate support as my decision isn’t so popular amongst family and friends 🙂
Embee, isn’t it amazing how unsupportive friends and family can be? People keep insisting on offering me alcohol even after I’ve stopped drinking for years. Drinking is so very, very ingrained in our society and people seem to have a hard time knowing how to handle people who don’t drink. I try to be so low key about it but some people make it a huge deal. Sigh.
Esmom, yes! I don’t understand why otherwise well-mannered individuals lose their minds when you say you aren’t drinking. For example, I told my (very proper) mother that I no longer partake, and she greeted me the next visit with a glass of red in one hand and a glass of white in the other. Face. Palm. I believe in her case it is a matter of not being in control of her own drinking. Not my circus…
I quit drinking 7 years ago because I was running my own dog rescue and the stress of it almost put me in the grave. I quit both at the same time.
Having said that, I didn’t really tell many people. Seems like he should maybe not be so public about being a month sober, put his head down, work on his character cause he seems like a schmuck, and shut up about this. I don’t get why he would put that on Facebook when he is so newly sober. Seems like he is playing an angle to me.
I had the same thought. The angle seems to be Mr. Dad. He’s getting sober for his kids, he’s so happy to be home with them, etc. Puh-lease. He is so transparent with his games.
She’s still his wife, not his “co-parent”. Sober, but still a d-bag.
Yeah, that wording struck me as odd, too, makes her sound like his mom. If he wanted to avoid mention of their marital status, I think “fellow co-parent” would have been better.
His wording is fine. They are afterall officially separated. I think people parse too much.
He worded it that way to thank her, but using that phrase specifically to stop the inevitable flurry of the next rag mag covers. Jen is reuniting with Ben, blah, blah.
I wrote my sentiments on the story but CB didn’t post it. My point was yes it’s good he’s getting help, but he’s icy cold to me. His disease isn’t a viable excuse for infidelity, especially with the hand that rocked the cradle that wasn’t his wife. I can’t think of anything that would make me happier than to have my soon to be or not, depending on the day, ex refer to me as his co-parent. Oh well, there you go…good luck Ben.
Somehow, I suspect that the wording was discussed with her ahead of time and that’s what they agreed upon.
+1 Nonetheless, it stands out since he referred to her as his wife multiple times since they separated. I bet *she* doesn’t want the statement to imply a definite reconciliation. Especially if she made it known she was ready to file, then he hurried to rehab. She wouldn’t do that to the kids with so much uncertainty already.
Agree. He consulted Jen on the wording. He should have too.
if he referred to her as ‘my wife’ all the news outlets will take it as a sign that they are definetely back together. the same thing happened when he referred to her as ‘my wife’ on a talk show last june and the internet went bananas.
Their most important relationship is actually as co parents. They should put the kids health and well being ahead of what’s pretty obviously a dysfunctional marriage.
@luca76 – Agree. I’ve always liked Ben and give him a lot of credit for doing this. But this doesn’t change my opinion about their dysfunctional marriage.
I didn’t mind it, seems like they probably agreed to it.
A couple of days out of rehab is not the time to publicly declare you’re getting back together with your estranged wife or to announce a divorce. Keeping the wording neutral seems wise.
I have nothing negative to say about this. I’m glad he got help for his addiction. All addicts hit a point in their life where it’s just not fun anymore and realize they are hurting everyone around them, not just themselves. I respect Jen for wanting to stand by him and keep their family together. It is not an easy road. I wish them all the best.
Addiction is a horrible thing, my heart goes out to those people who have fallen in the claws of drugs and/or alcohol. My best wishes for Mr. Affleck and his family who I am sure suffered along with him. I wonder what the trolls are going to say about this, they always find something negative to say about people’s misfortune.
Good for him. Not easy to admit it so publicly.
Yes – so surprised yet happy that he got this story out there himself. (Though I’m sure his statement was carefully either written or vetted by his PR folks)
I bet that it is going to be released by tabloids
We know someone who had always had some sort of a problem and would go on the wagon a few times. His marriage fell apart (my friend), and he just got worse over the next year, affecting his days, not just nights. People in the legal community knew. My friend (now divorced from him) got together with his siblings and talked him into going to rehab. Once he got out, he really went to the meetings and worked on his sobriety. And over the next few years we were surprised how diligent he was. He stayed away from activities with drinking. Like after a golf game, didn’t join his friends in the clubhouse when they went to get beers. He remarried and has stayed sober for a decade now. It really wasn’t easy those first couple of years but he put measures in place, like going to AA, a sober mentor, and his social activities, so as not to tempt him and slip back.
I wish Ben success and good health physically and mentally as he begins his journey to sobriety.
Our neighbor, beautiful woman, is a lush at night. I think it’s affected her brain cells. She and her husband love each other and now that the kids are out of the house, go and do and travel together all the time. But she still sits up late drinking her wine every night getting sloshed and all thick-tongued. You know not to call her after nine because she talks in circles. She, nor her husband, have ever acknowledged she has a problem.
I’m happy, and hopeful, for Ben. It’s not an easy road and I hope he can stay the course. I’m sure the love & support of his family is a great help and that’s why Jennifer didn’t just bail on him, even after his inexcusable behavior. I wish him continued sobriety, health and happiness.
I hope his next phase is to improve as director, producer and writer and stay off camera. It would be best.
And no more photo ops with the kids.
“My co-parent, Jen” lmao Time to file, sis. Good for him for getting help.
that’s what i was thinking…. i said GIRL he said his marriage was hard work, cheated with nanny openly, called you a co-parent…. I read that line and said GIRL BYE …file today! LMAO
What is she holding onto? I just don’t get why she hasn’t filed…what is wrong with her
Even up until just a handful of years ago he was convinced that he didn’t really have a problem. Good for him for finally acknowledging it – that’s the very first building block.
Co-parent Jen is such a cold way to refer to her. The language seems very deliberate. E news says that he doesn’t want to cycle through anything that he’s been through before, that no one pressured him into going (specifically naming Garner) and that he wants to be balanced and healthy. Looks like someone finally explained what co-dependent means.
Firstly, good for him. Secondly, I think we knew he had slipped even before the nanny. Remember the sightings of him at random casinos and gas stations three years ago? And then everytime you saw him with his family he looked like a man who couldnt wait for his next drink. I think people misinterpreted that look for hating his family when the probable truth is that the reason he grinned so much around Matt is probably because Matt doesnt demand he stay sober in his presence. Remember that photo of the nanny late in the evening in his drive way delivering WINE?
I think it also explains the conflicting statements from their reps not just recently but for the past two years. Jen gets exersperrated and tries to send him a public ultimatum. Ben is either too sloshed to understand whats happening or in denial about it all so when his rep asks him for direction, he just denies theres a problem. Or maybe he accepts the ultimatum, stays clean for a few days and then spirals back to 0. Either way, good on them for handling this away from prying tabloids for so long. This could have played out very ugly for the kids.
It’s always good to get help and I guess I’m cautiously optimistic for him. And best wishes to you @Celebitchy.
However I also hope that Garner is seeking therapy or perhaps attending Al-Anon. She stayed in a long marriage with an addict who is not faithful to her. She had at least two of her three children by choice with him knowing all these issues. At worst she’s an enabler, at best she’s got massive self-esteem issues. She needs to address that, whether they divorce or not.
Eonline’s source says that his stint in rehab had nothing to do with Jen (gossip cop says the same), and she was not consulted on the statement that he put out. Well duh! My coparent Jen says it all, doesn’t it? Just say “Jen” and leave it at that but no, he wanted to make something clear. Daily Mail says that she was in Mexico on a girls trip this past weekend. It sounds like he’s out of rehab right? But no one’s seen him? I am curious if any of the rags have his rehab on their covers, specifically People. They would not have had time to add it after he issued his statement to run this week, unless they already knew. I think his fb post was to get out ahead of it.
Meh, E! isn’t always on the ball. Co-parent seems like deliberate language to make sure the press doesn’t rush to have headlines that they are getting back together. There was a story in People recently that seemed like it was leaked from Garner’s camp that had a similar vibe. I don’t think it was done to be “cold.”
lol the press is going to do that anyway. the ‘good’ tabloids have written hundreds, maybe thousands of articles about them, based on as little as taking different cars to church with their kids. This was a statement directly from him and yeah, I think he was making a point clear on that issue. The word co-parent does not need to be there.
Vanity Fair had the story on their website yesterday evening with analysis, so I’m sure People mag will fastrack it to the printed addition.
http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/03/ben-affleck-rehab-alcohol-addiction
E! does not say that Jennifer wasn’t consulted on the content of his statement but rather that it was Affleck alone who made the decision to enter treatment and to go public with his alcoholism.
I was overjoyed when his FB post popped up in my feed. I really hope that he can maintain a healthy lifestyle and relationship with his family. I appreciate the heartfelt words about himself and the careful, measured words about Jennifer and their relationship.
No snark here…but two weeks of treatment is very little. I hope he’s continuing outpatient treatment.
Wasn’t he photographed with a sober companion before he even went into rehab? If that was the case, then I think he’ll be okay if he keeps up outpatient treatment after his stint in rehab….but I agree that two weeks is pretty short.
ITA. Frankly, I think he should not have said anything and taken Casey’s approach, which was to be quietly sober and then a few years down the line, reveal that. Even a month is a small period of time for someone like Ben who has been an addict for a couple of decades now. Unless of course, as someone else pointed out, the tabloids already have that he was in rehab and were going to run the story regardless.
There was no way that the tabloids were going to let him be “quietly sober” for any amount of time. There is no doubt in my mind that they knew he was there and they were looking for any moment to expose it.
@Alyssa He was in rehab a few years ago and no one knew. But anyway… I think it’s no accident that he released his statement the night before the new tabloids come out for the week.
I don’t think that the press on him in 2001 is any comparison to the press he receives now so that is the difference.
Casey, as in his brother Casey Affleck, is quietly sober? He’s sober?!?!?!? During award season he looked like he was on all. The. Drugs.
Oh sh*t. I missed that part.
I guess there are varying levels to alcoholism, but it seems like the people you surround yourself with afterwards are very important. If Ben isn’t changing his social group it will be another level of difficult to stay sober.
I wish him the absolute best. I hope he can get his sh*t together long term for his kids sake, if not for his own.
Meh- I got sober 3 years ago without any inpatient treatment- just a lot of work and diligence every day. Most people I know in the sober community did so without going to inpatient treatment. It’s not necessarily a sign of long-term recovery. Different paths for everyone. I wish him continued success in his sobriety.
He was in inpatient treatment for 30 days with a pause for a couple of days in the middle to allow him to return to LA to support his brother at the Oscars and to celebrate his son’s birthday.
You don’t know that he did 30 days. We only really have solid confirmation of two weeks. You also claimed that Jen was participating in Family Week (and staying in the hotel next to his rehab) and were proven wrong. Thanks for your posts.
LMAO @zebra.
Ben was off the grid for a month and travelled back from Utah before the Oscars, which suggests he had already begun his treatment prior to the Oscars. There is no ‘solid confirmation’ of either 2 weeks or 30 days. However, a 30-day program is the minimum stay offered by Cirque Lodge.
I still believe Jennifer participated in Family Week. I didn’t mention the location while he was still there because it felt off, but Cirque Lodge’s website says that the addict’s primary support system should try to attend Family Week and that Tuesday and Wednesday were the days to prioritise if time was tight. Jennifer wasn’t photographed in LA on those days and, given today’s joint outing, she seems to still be his primary support system. I never claimed she was staying ‘in a hotel’, just that she would have to stay somewhere nearby.
@A I agree with the exception of the oscars, he was not seen between Feb 9 and today. Probably completed the 30 days yesterday or the day before
But Ben wasn’t off the grid. He was spotted here and there between the super bowl and the oscars, plus on 2/21 in South Carolina. Also, just because Jen wasn’t photographed in LA doesn’t mean that she wasn’t there. Now you believe that she was only at Family Week on Tuesday and Wednesday? BS. Just give it up, she wasn’t there. You said that you’d provide proof that she was at Family Week when Ben was out of rehab. You still haven’t done so. You don’t have any real proof, just speculation based on nothing.
He wasn’t spotted ‘here and there’ – there were no positive sightings of him since Feb 9. Even before the rehab blind item, the South Carolina sighting wasn’t credible and I said so at the time. Then Lainey confirmed that Ben was in treatment both before and after the Oscars.
This is ALL speculation, it’s a celebrity gossip website! It’s obviously possible Jennifer wasn’t in Utah. However, I still believe she was, for the reasons I already outlined and for her children’s sake.
He literally was spotted here and there, though — are they all misidentifying him? lol The South Carolina sighting is a lot more credible than complete conjecture based on literally no evidence. A ontd poster in Utah said that her local radio station reported seeing Ben in the area. He was seen. Jen would have been spotted if she’d been there for two days. She wasn’t.
PD I did see a tweet by some girl in Utah that week and she mentioned Jennifer had left and she didnt get to meet her. So, is possible she was there.
Ben was ‘spotted’ all over the place even during the two weeks you agree he was in rehab. People make inside jokes or misidentify celebrities all the time.
No one mentioned on social media that Jen was in Mexico for 48 hours yet we know she was there.
Yeah, 2 weeks is just a PR exercise. Between the drinking, the pills, the gambling and the general self-destructiveness, anything less than 3 months is a bit of a joke, and 6 months would be advisable. It’s not like he’s working right now either, there’s literally no reason he couldn’t have done more.
Not really a surprise, he’s half-assed every other rehab/treatment attempt and been seen drinking publicly again within months each time. He had his now usual booze bloat and red eyes at the Oscars, so it doesn’t seem like he even stayed sober during treatment.
Exactly. The fact that he still looked so awful at the Oscars is even more reason to believe that he did not go into rehab right after the Super Bowl, or complete 30 days. His last public sighting was 2/21 in South Carolina. If he went to rehab after that he would have only been “sober” for a few days at the Oscars on 2/26. That makes a lot more sense to me because that man did not look like he’d been on the wagon for two weeks at that point as some would suggest.
No snark from me either. I quit almost 3 years ago after a horrible night in which I got publicly drunk and the next day woke to an intervention of sorts by the person closest to me. I grew up with an alcoholic in the house and vowed I would never be that person. I didn’t go to rehab or anything but I promised to not drink until I felt like I could control it which I thought might equal maybe a dry month. Then that month led to I am pretty scared to try drinking again and now I just don’t even miss it and I love waking up with no headaches, excited about each day. I wasn’t a daily drinker but I was a classic binge drinker which is probably worse. I hope I never drink again. That is one of my goals in life.
My best friend’s brother wasn’t a daily drinker either. He would go long periods without drinking, but out of the blue he would go off binge drinking, sometimes disappear for days. As he got older, the episodes got worse. It was hard on the family and on his second wife.
That is a really good friend, and I’m very glad you had the emotional strength to listen to them.
Binge drinking is especially hard because it’s so socially acceptable at university and college, but it is just as dangerous.
What worked for me, and still is working 7 years later? When I quit, I said, “I will never drink again. NEVER.” I don’t hope or wish I won’t drink again – I won’t, because I said I won’t and I know it for a fact, just like I know for a fact that I will never kick a puppy.
Lots of treatments in this country make this WAY more complicated than it is – and I have lots of issues with many of them. I am also almost finished the classes to be a substance abuse counselor, and my education has made me really doubt some of the most common ways people try to get sober. The way that worked for me was Rational Recovery, where you just say “Never again,” and Women for Sobriety online.
Good luck – not drinking again is in the hands of one person – you!! And you sound like you made a firm and final decision. Best to you.
@sarah, while i appreciate you stating what worked for you, i would hope your education is also teaching you what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another. psychology is a tricky game, and i would just hope you don’t eschew treatments because you don’t agree with them on a personal level. but congrats on your will-power! honestly, not many people can talk themselves into doing something without a little additional help (i.e. talk therapy, rehabilitation therapy, etc).
Good for him for getting treatment, but at most he was in rehab for a month. That’s very little. Hmmm. Add me to the list of those who think ‘my coparent Jen’ is a very clinical and cold way to refer to her. Just say Jen. No one would draw any conclusions from that. I was on another site that had a post about this last night and that’s all anyone was talking about so I know I’m not alone. I think they’re dunzo, not that I ever really believed that they were reconciling anyway.
The rehab stay is just the first step. “This was the first of many steps being taken towards a positive recovery.”
Batman movie production is delayed until 2018 but it is without relation with Affleck unable to be in shape at time.
My bet is that everyone( Affleck,his entourage and WB) wanted to avoid the rehab ( it explains the sober coach ) but it was the last remedy
Totally cold. ITA, he should’ve just said Jennifer. I never thought they’d be reconciling either.
My co-parent, Jen. Oh dear. Time to file, hon.
It sounds cold,doesn’t it?
He could have just said Jennifer; that is true. But he was clearly sending a message without being insulting. Their party line has been to focus on co-parenting. That seems to be the code. Just like her weekend with the girls is sending a clear message. I think it won’t be long before she files. I stand by my comments a few days ago about her not wanting to kick him when he was down. Now that he has made his statement about being in rehab there is nothing stopping her. Though, true accountability on his part would have him filing first.
@Alyssa Well now she’s in the position of filing from someone who just got out of rehab. Her PR team is probably trying to figure out how long she has to play the role of supportive co-parent before she can file and not look uncaring. From a pr standpoint it would probably be better if HE filed, not her.
No need for them to split if they want to stay together. Alcoholism is a diease. He got help, and it sounds like he did it to keep his family. Admitting to having the problem and getting help is brave and smart. I hope he stays well and gets help anytime he needs it.
If he got sober to please others (or bc he was issued an ultimatum), he will most likely relapse. He has to want to get sober for himself. This is probably why he has continued to battle the same addictions over and over for the past 15 years.
@PD, he alsosaid he wants to live life to the fullest and these were just the first steps in getting well. When my mother stopped, she apologized for us always seeing her drinking and it wasn’t just having a heart attack that made her quit. She’s had 2 heart attack and lung cancer before she was 58 and won’t stop the damn smoking! My mom never relapsed. She told us it was having a family to care for was the reason she stayed strong. Nobody’s the same, but Bens family is lucky he got help and he’s lucky they all supported him. I hope he stays strong and fights this addiction as hard as he can
My husband didn’t think he had a problem – until he tried to quit, and couldn’t. The key is twice weekly AA meetings for him. Nineteen years sober. Remember ‘Back to the Future’, where things don’t just get returned to normal for the McFlys at the end, they get much much better? That is what life is like now.
A lot of people hate him but I hope he succeeds with his sobriety. As far as his marriage goes…they each want different things. I do think he loved Garner at some point and gave domesticity a go, and found out he didn’t want it.
Good luck to him and them. Alcoholism was a feature of my husband’s maternal side of the family. Everyone suffered, some died youngish. It’s tough.
I once met a guy whose ex-girlfriend was a third generation alcoholic. Her grandmother and mother were alcoholics. The girl was really quite beautiful and sweet, but by age 30 had another relapse, or maybe it just got out of control again and had never stopped drinking, and was put in rehab for a third time. He said the genetic component was really strong when you looked at her family history. He had tried to help her and support her over the years to no avail, but he said for his sanity he had to get out of the relationship.
My husband’s mother never touched a drop, but three of her four siblings were alcoholic as were her father and grandfather. So was my husband for about ten years. About five years after quitting his early onset Alzheimer’s appeared. Horrible, horrible disease.
@SusanneToo, I’m so sorry to hear that. It is a cruel disease.
Alcoholism ran in both sides of my family for generations. My mom stopped drinking at 38 after her first heart attack. A few of my cousins have the problem.
That’s awesome. My father has been an alcoholic since before I was born. Not fun to see. It’s the reason I will never touch alcohol. I wish he would get help. Stay strong.
Daily Fail says that Co-Parent Jen (lol) spent the weekend in Mexico with girlfriends. Interesting. Have there been any post-rehab sightings of Ben? I hope it all works out for him but if I’m being honest, 2-4 weeks in rehab for someone with his addictions is nothin. There, I said it.
As a former semi-professional partier, I haven’t drank in 15+ years. I have found that if you hang out with facinating people and do more interesting things, you don’t need it.
Good for him & I wish him the best. I think People were sitting on this for a while, and his publicist gave them that scoop last week to shut up them up. I don’t think he wanted this to get out.
Eh. People doesn’t have any kind of exclusive on his rehab though. Their post online is nothing special.
People for sure had the story, when they interviewed the people editor she out right said that “Ben has been working on himself to become the father and husband that Jen wants him to be”
More fluff to make readers dream and imagine and click. If they had this story they would have ran it last week.
@Jenfan do you honestly believe that People would not run this story on their cover this week if they had it? if they had this knowledge last week they had days to write a story and basically be the only tab to do so. lol come onnnnnnn.
@the nanny. Of course I don’t anything for sure, but looking at those video interviews with the editor with the quote I mentioned before – it seems that they were pretty sure what he was doing, and in my opinion is why they were given a green light to run last week’s story. People is a celeb friendly outlet – and I believe the outlet they gave the divorce announcement to (though I don’t remember). My theory here is (and of course I can be so wrong) – is that People will get some type of “how I saved my life, family (maybe marriage) by going to rehab etc” the next time Ben has something to promote. Again just my theory – I don’t know anything
There has been so much back and forth. Anything is possible obviously but I don’t really think I trust People’s sources. Their story last week was quickly denied by literally everyone else. Gossip Cop even went after them. Their story even seemed to confirm Us weekly’s story last month that she was ready to file. They also made sure to state twice that they are not actually even back together. IDK. At this point I’m ready to quit the tabloid conjecture and speculation and go by what Ben and Jen say and do themselves, or things that come directly from reps and it’s explicitly stated that they’re from reps, not “sources.” BC honestly People’s source(s) sound like a hopeful fan to me, and not something that a serious rep would put out there. YMMV. And I think they gave their divorce statement to a couple of different places, it was not a People exclusive. ET online got it as well, for example.
@JenFan I agree that People sat on this story last week to be respectful of his ongoing treatment (in exchange for some sort of update). Their story appeared online after the Lainey blind, so they definitely knew at least second-hand. If commenters on CB were talking about the location of his rehab centre, it’s a certainty that People knew too.
his next phase IMO should be to end for good his codependent and toxic marriage. Otherwise the cycle will restart soon. She’s an enabler and will cling onto him for life unless HE finds the courage to finally end the marriage, because she will never. He’s never been in love with her. Their marriage is the product of an (unplanned for him?) pregnancy.
co-parent jen, well if that isn’t a big “pump your brakes” to the tabloids, straight from ben himself. she doesn’t attend family week at his rehab. he gets out, she goes to mexico with friends. it’s pretty clear what’s their status really is, to me anyway. tabloids will continue to pump this story until the end of time, look at brad/jen/angelina. they have to keep the lights on and the doors open and that means sales and clicks. next week it will be that the divorce is back on, the week after that, it’s off. etc etc.
I hope he realizes treatment should continue- at least AA and outpatient care- indefinitely. Dude seems to have the classic addictive personality. Thirty days is just the tip of the iceberg.
AA doesn’t work for something like 90% of people. I found it incredibly depressing and angering. I drank cause I had a genetic predisposition for anxiety and an alcoholic father, not because I am filled with character flaws. AA is a 1940s program – would you allow a brain surgeon trained in the 1940s with no updates operate on you? NEVER!
There are many, many ways to get sober, I think when AA works it is because you are done anyway. And there is really no such thing as an addictive personality – there is an addictive brain that is susceptible to drugs and alcohol due to the brain structure and THAT runs in families.
Not trying to be rude, just sharing some personal experiences and also my own training.
That was a very short stint in rehab. He has multiple addictions that he needs to conquer. I feel like this is just a window dressing for him. Why the rush to be discharged?
Good question. I do give him credit for finally admitting to being an addict instead of going along with the “Ben has demons” narrative. But it’s true he decided to leave out the other non-socially acceptable addictions including drug addiction, gambling, infidelity, etc. Small steps.
Yeah, this is just window dressing. Sorry, Ben. I don’t get blasting this out on social media, even if it was coming out. A smart person in early sobriety would have said, “No comment,” and continued on their work on their sobriety.
Why exactly, has she not filed yet? What is she holding onto?
I think there must be a part of her that enables him because he will always be codependent on her as long as he abuses alcohol and parties because she will always give him a soft place to land when he falls on his face during his cycle of partying, strung out and come downs.
She must know deep inside that once he beats his demons and gets on his own two feet, he won’t need her as much anymore and the fact will remain that he just is not in love with his wife is my guess…
How supportive can she be if she is jetting off to Mexico once he gets out? Passive aggressive…Their marriage is absolutely dead – my big question now is, why hasn’t she filed? The best thing Ben can do is end this dysfunctional marriage with his enabler and codependent woman and if that means letting her go then he should file.
Once he wakes up from his fog of substance abuse, I think he will start to see his marriage to Jennifer Garner more clearly. Both of them deserve a real marriage and a real shot a happiness.
“He didn’t want to cycle through anything he had dealt with in the past,” a source shared with E! News exclusively. “He’s moving in a healthy, balanced direction.” Our insider also assures us that entering rehab had nothing to do with Jennifer Garner. Instead, the Hollywood star decided to do everything on his own including this public statement. (from enews)
Yeah, part of the enabler role is being that person that’s always there offering advice and support and helping to fix things. And also the belief that you occupy a truly special role in helping the person get well. It sounds harsh, and that’s why most people focus on the addict as the “bad” one – because the addictive behavior is overtly destructive. But enablers play a real role in it too.
If you listen to Harvey Levin’s TMZ video from a few days ago, he’s pretty steadfast in his belief based on “making some calls” (lol) that the divorce is absolutely going through and also that the reason they haven’t divorced yet has “nothing to do with wanting to be together.” Harvey does have good sources, including divorce lawyers, so who knows. But I don’t really believe she’ll ever file. Let’s face it – it’s awesome that Ben is getting help again, but she’s been through this wringer for the better part of a decade, and she hasn’t left yet, so my bet is on her never. ever. leaving. Probably just making a lot more threats.
I agree. I think there is a part of her that leverages his substance abuse as a way to control him and make him stay as I said above…She will lose this control if he sobers up. You can already start to see him reclaiming his life and asserting independence, referring to her as his co-parent (not spouse/wife)…
I don’t think he’s been clear minded enough to even consider filing. People in the cycle of abuse are really living day to day/ party to party and I’m sure facing his marriage was far from his mind but as he finds clarity…I predict he will end up being to one to file and the divorce will get very ugly because its obviously, not what she wants.
I think you guys are too much.
Jen probably never filed precisely because she was the only one with any power over him. He clearly does want to maintain a home life of some sort and I think she just leveraged that over and over again to get through to him. Definitely she did that through the press. When ordinary people talk about walking away from addict so they can hit rock bottom, they are talking about someone who will run out of money, jobs and friends if you leave. Its Ben Fecking Affleck, he will not run out of cash or sycophants or even directing opportunities. He would just hire some nannies for when the kids come over and do a monthly pap walk with them. So Jen completely cutting him off would be to take away the only tool left. Whatever his inclinations, he genuinely does seem to seek out stability from her or he would have moved out as soon as he could.
@stella – Yeah, that movie When a Man Loves a Woman comes to mind, but in this scenario, Ben is Meg Ryan (alcoholic) and Jen is Andy Garcia (spouse.) It shows how, on some level, Andy became comfortable with being Meg’s savior and support system and was afraid of losing control once she was no longer drinking. Of course, people will shout that Jen threatened to leave him if he didn’t stop. She’s not an enabler! She wanted him to get help! But that’s just it. She threatened. This isn’t their first or even second time at this rodeo. And in 12 years, that’s all she’s ever done – threaten. On some level, this fact isn’t lost on Ben either.
Jen’s power is in that they have children together mostly…, but I also think her power is that-she always offered him a place to come stay when he was coming down off the party, coming down from drugs. After a binge, he gets in his strung out shame spiral…he feels like crap emotionally and physically and she always offered him a soft place to land while he dried out (while he was obviously screwing other women)…When he is strung out/drying out he doesn’t want to be alone so he hangs out with her and the kids until he feels better and gets the urge to party…rinse repeat…If he isn’t binging and needing a place to come down and recover, what does she have to offer him besides being a co-parent? Even she admitted to not having kissed her husband or any man in almost year. If Ben wanted to be with Jen, it is very clear they would be a couple.
Jen is his crutch and his enabler IMO. She will always be the mother of his children and they will always be parents to their children. But once the partying stops, she can’t be there to save him after a binge because he won’t need saving anymore.
I think he will end up filing when he 1.) stays sober and becomes reliable in the eyes of a family court 2.) finds and creates his own residence that is kid friendly ….Once this happens, why would he stay married to Jen? He obviously has been with other women for a long time now.
@stella – i agree, but I’m not sure I can see him filing. Even back when infidelity rumors were rampant, he still wanted that safety net, and I’m guessing he still does. Also, now that this rehab stay is out there and Jen has been positioned as his rock through it all, he’s going to look like a dbag if he files. Suddenly, this has shifted to a positive narrative – everyone has forgotten the years of absences, infidelities and split rumors – and even the nanny. I don’t think either one is walking away from this comeback story.
@jojo Only the fringe is trying to make it look like she’s his “rock.” His own official statement oddly and coldly referred to her as his co-parent. She was mentioned last. Other tabloids have been pressing the lines that he wasn’t pressured into rehab by anyone, esp. Garner. If there’s a focus it’s been on his kids and wanting to do this for them. So it’s not as linked to JG as you’d expect.
Lainey has been so so on the money with their gossip and Blind items and the situational read, I also fully believe that A) this can get ahead of a story or cut it off at the pass (so it’s smart) B) Jen wanted her thanks in print from him and that was a non negotiable
He didnt thank Jen, he acknowledged her. Considering how she has held the home life together even letting him live in the same compound, he would have to be a douche not to name her. Secondly, not specifically acknowledging her would have been extremely bad PR for him. Everyone and their dad knows that she is the hands on parent, so he couldnt mention the kids without mentioning her.
Lainey said that the initial separation was caused by a heroine addiction or she hinted heavily at that. She may be right. He may have been in rehab for opioids but had to rush an announcement on it being alcohol to cut off the story.
Lainey didn’t actually divulge anything that wasn’t already buzzing about on the internet for like a week. And her speculation that Jen was the catalyst for him going was wrong.
Yeah, her blind included nothing that wasn’t part of the public rumour mill. He was pictured with a sober companion then seen a few miles away from a prominent rehab centre. The rest writes itself.
@celebitchy, I quit drinking in October for the same reason. It’s the best decision I ever made. Congratulations on your sobriety, and solidarity. You’ve got a friend in me!
Good for Ben! I hope he stays healthy! Good for you too CB. Your story inspires me. When I was younger drinking was a weekend social thing. Sometimes we overdid it but I never felt like it was a real crutch. It’s actually tougher for me now with young kids and the challenges/frustration/drudgery that were more than I expected. (Just being honest, I know some moms that handle everything with grace and I am working on it.) So the nightly generous glass of wine is often my “reward/escape.” And that’s when it becomes an issue. I don’t think it’s uncommon among moms.
X100 JenB
maybe some medias got some pics of him in rehab or whatever proof and got ticked so he took the step of being forthcoming.
If he wanted to start building a path toward a public reconciliation, I don’t think this was it. The focus of his statement was about himself and his kids and not hiding. Jen gets relegated to being the co-parent who took care of the kids while he was away. Is it possible that he has finally recognized the unhealthy codependency of their relationship and is establishing boundaries? Dare to dream. Good for him and I hope he succeeds. I agree with Stella that Jen has actually enjoyed being the one who gets to save him every time and who gets most of the credit if he doesn’t screw something up. Martyr St. Jen doesn’t get to exist if Ben cleans up his act on his own. I found the statement to be very interesting, glad to see that I wasn’t the only one. Also telling that vanity fair, e and gc have sources stating that he’s doing this all on his own and she had nothing to do with it.
Totally agree with everything you said! Good on him for reclaiming his independence and owning his recovery. I hope it sticks for him this time, especially knowing that it’s HIS choice and not anyone else’s. He’s a good man with an illness. He’s got to have true people surrounding him who honestly want to see him succeed vs. making his sobriety about themselves (which is what St. Jen seems to have gotten off on this past decade). His kids will be even happier to have him than they already seem to be. Much healing and light to him and his kiddos.
I wish him the best. I also found the “co-parent” wording weird, as he could have just said “Jen” and excluded the “co-parent” part. I guess it’s to make it clear that they are not back together like some reports have suggested.
Interesting that Lainey has not posted anything on this yet. Is she waiting for more info? It seemed from her blind last week she already had the info
She did post. Nothing exciting, just basically re-posted her blind item as well as links to the pics that the Daily Mail has of Ben, Jen and Sam today. (Jen especially does not look happy. Back to babysitting duty.)
Ben’s sobriety is most important right now for himself and his children. We all are passing on good thoughts. I will always root for Ben.
BUT on a superficial note, once Ben gets clean and sober and back into good healthy living and an exercise regimen again, does that mean we will finally get rid of bloated Ben and get this Ben back? Too soon, even for Celebitchy? LOL
He was a hunk five years ago.
http://cdn02.cdn.justjared.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/garner-parade/jennifer-garner-ben-affleck-bring-samuel-to-parade-18.jpg
Holy cow he looks great in that pic. He hasn’t looked that good of healthy in a long time.
IMO the real troubles (this time round) began when he pursued and accepted the Batman gig 3 – 4 years ago. The public backlash was immediate and harsh and I don’t think he’s personally built to withstand that. During the ramp up to filming and during production of the 1st movie is when you began to hear rumors re drinking, pain meds after a ski accident, casino sightings and gambling. The whisperings became rumblings, the split and nanny incident happened and now…here we are.
Someone like Ben should have the sense to know his sensitivities and limitations, and not bite off ‘more than he can chew’ lest he tumble out of sobriety again. He has a young family to think of besides his high profile career. I hope he takes things more cautiously from here on out.
Jojo your seeking to blame Jen and save face for Ben is just that. Sincerely kudos to Ben for taking this step but do not blame her for enabling him to drink do drugs or cheat with who knows how many randoms. Ben is a 44 old man who can think for himself and is in fact a highly intelligent man. He didn’t just start this behaviour recently. He was in this spot before her and I believe when he was riding that big wave of success with Argo the partying to celebrate that might of set this repeat cycle in motion. He was on the wagon but then took that sip and boom, that’s all it takes. I believe she loved him and her kids and tried to fight to save him the whole time but he had to truly want to save himself so her efforts were in vain and then after many public instances knew it was time to give up. I don’t think they will get back together. I don’t think she is IN love with him anymore but does love her kids and he is the father of her kids and FOR THEM will support him. She will not file until he is stable she won’t kick him while he is down. She was not an enabler she was a Mother! And a stable influence on him it just wasn’t enough. Don’t forget to factor in his genetic history too and his denial and defiance.
I think she went to Mexico to give him time to reconnect with the kids.
Tell me what is and has been stopping him from filing? Why does it have to be her?
+1
I don’t think Ben got back til yesterday. In yesterday’s pap shots Sam was not with Jen on the school run, He was there on Monday. I think that Mexico trip was self care, especially before Ben was expected back, and more work begins.
And Ben is back to doing school runs and getting breakfast together today, including driving Jen’s car. They may be continuing to be split (as it does appear from reports and his use of the word coparent), but they are awfully close under those circumstances.
Good luck Ben! Hope you stay healthy
It’s more likely that he returned prior to her trip and was with the children this weekend. Jen doesn’t strike me as the type to take a frivolous trip to Mexico, leaving her kids with nannies or whoever for days, while their father is away in rehab. It’s already a delicate time for them. But you know what? I don’t know the woman, maybe she did and thought nothing of it. Who knows. YMMV.
That co-parent Jen thing in his statement reminded me of when he flubbed his Oscar speech, and I wonder if she’s annoyed about it. It’s just cold and odd and deliberate. Saw the pics, they look unhappy per usual. Makes me wonder if he’s already slipping back into old, negative routines. Of course this could just be a post-rehab pap stroll, ‘look, we’re co-parenting, everything’s fine’. I can’t remember the last time I saw Ben look completely happy. Even when he smiles it doesn’t reach his eyes. What he’s become is very sad, I hope he can find a way to be joyful again. I really do.
@PD I normally agree with you. But it’s all in the timing. I don’t think the 30 days of rehab were finished until Monday or yesterday. Of course I’m just speculating, based on him going in after Feb 9 – the last time he was seen. And I don’t think that trip was frivoulous – I think it was self care – especially given what she appears to have been going through. And kids could have been with grandparents etc. and by all accounts she was away for 48 hours with her married BFF and other moms. So they all left the kids.
@Jenfan You’re assuming that he did 30 days though. You must admit that this is speculation and he could have done less. Let’s say for the sake of argument that the 2/21 sighting in south carolina was legit. He goes into rehab that same week. Returns to LA that Sunday for the Oscars, goes back to Utah until 2/10. Two weeks.
@Jenfan I agree that Jen’s friends took her away for the weekend for some fun but I think he was probably back by then, no? It doesn’t strike you as odd that she’d leave the country for days, kids in the care of unnamed ‘others’ while Ben is in rehab in another state? I think he was back and spending quality time with them, alone. At least that’s what I’d prefer to think. Also zimbio had pics of Jen, Sam and the older daughter at the therapists office on Thursday. Maybe preparing them for his return?
I’m only speculating, but the U.S. And people puff pieces about Ben returning to parenting – align with the thought that he returned on Tuesday or Monday evening. took his kids to school today picked them up yesterday.
More like, it aligns with his very public statement. Naturally, the first sighting of him post-statement is with his kids. So obvious. I imagine he would have been happy to do the church stroll with the whole family if Jen hadn’t fled to Mexico. Anyway he’s in image-rehab mode now so expect a zillion more pap strolls with the kids.
If he quit his rehab treatment after just 2 weeks (30 days is their minimum treatment plan), I doubt Jennifer would be seen out in public with him or allowing sources to talk about how she’s supportive and happy that he got help. Likewise, it’s unlikely Ben would be issuing a public statement if he actually couldn’t hack it and bailed.
I think he got home on Monday or Tuesday – 30 days + 2 days break.
Minimum treatment plan? Do you really think the rules are the same for Ben Affleck? He got a pass to attend the Oscars. You are hilarious.
@PD Earlier you said he only did two weeks of rehab post-Oscars but now you’re saying he was there beforehand and just got a pass to leave for the Oscars?
Yeah if I had to guess he went in 2/24 and returned 3/10. The Oscars were 2/26. Two weeks.
That seems incredibly unlikely to me. Why fly all that way for just 36 hours? Also, patients usually aren’t allowed to even make a daily phone call for the first few days because it’s so important to settle in.
I agree with most of what you said up until the “Jen is not an enabler” part. I completely disagree. She most definitely is an enabler and could benefit from some Al-Anon. I don’t think she actively chose to be an enabler – most don’t realize it and think they’re helping – but I do think that, as another person posted higher up, she relied on and relished in the fact that she was the person to clean up after him the moment he screwed up. And as an addict, he started to rely on that – at least subconsciously. I think being this “saint” helped validate her, made her feel important and valued and frankly, made her look good. Lest we forget – Jen was once a celeb in her own right and was a successful working actress with her own image to uphold. She seems to be just as involved with how she looks as he does (hello – a welcome smile at the paps one minute vs criticizing them the next). That said, I think she absolutely loved to pick him up and dust him off when he was down despite how often that tactic backfired. We all know he self-sabotages, but I believe she got off on that after a while (hello public threats). Do I think it started out this way? No. I think there was some real love there at first. But love isn’t enough. I think he’s starting to reclaim his own independence by seeking treatment on his terms and by his choice. That statement was all him and his team. And I think she’s reclaiming her own independence by going on a girls trip to Mexico and indulging in some self-care while waiting for the right time to file. She isn’t going to kick him when he’s down but they’re both clearly ready to move on. I think that for as much as Goop is known for being “consciously uncoupled” I think Ben and Jen will be coining the term “co-parenting” because they’re already good at it (or so it seems). In time, I hope that as individuals they can both move on to better relationships that are stable and supportive.
Some classic signs of enabling addiction can look and feel like being a protective mother/wife, though. People think they’re doing a good thing and helping but in the long run are doing more damage. For example, ignoring or overlooking Ben’s negative behavior. If you believe Lainey’s blind items, Jen is by now an expert at this. Prioritizing Ben’s needs before her own. Yep. Acting out of fear — was the us weekly story last month a public threat? Lying to others to cover an addict’s behavior — yep. Blaming people or situations other than the addict to protect him from consequences. Yep. She’s been covering for him for years.
Jen is the wronged party, she should file. He’s given her cause. For him it’s probably cheaper to keep her as long as he still gets to do whatever he wants while she looks the other way. She would continue to care for the kids mostly on her own and having no real career while he’s doing whatever he needs/wants to do. It would be continued destructive behavior to revert to that IMHO.
@scotiagirl – I actually agree with almost everything you said. I absolutely think Ben is 100% responsible for his actions. My point is that it always takes two. His behavior was blatantly destructive, but she stayed and even continued to have more children. I’m in no way saying she’s to blame for his begavior, but she tacitly accepted it by staying over and over again for 12 years. I don’t necessarily think it’s her responsibility to file. I think people just assume she’d be the one to do it given what she has repeatedly gone through, and they assume she’s the one that will make a more rational, stable decision.
He can’t file because he’s a substance abuser and I’d bet money that Jen has threatened to take his kids away from him because of his substance abuse problem. He won’t file until he’s fit enough to fight her for joint custody. I think he wants out and he’s stuck in a holding pattern until he’s in a better way to get joint custody.
He has cheated on her, made it very clear he doesn’t want to be in functional intimate marriage with her and has a history of substance abuse. As I said, it’s clear why he hasn’t filed – he is certainly not afraid of losing jen but i bet he is very afraid of losing his kids. The real question is, why hasn’t SHE filed?
Let’s say he gets his own place. Can she really trust that the kids will be safe in his care? I don’t think the answer is yes, or has been yes for a very long time. Would you trust him with three young kids? He’s been in bad shape for a long time now. I think that’s why he continues to live on the property. He simply can’t be trusted. Jen is essentially a single parent of 4: three minor children and a raging alcoholic.
Congrats on your sobriety CB!!
I’m calling it–Ben and Jen will be renewing their vows on a beach somewhere within 2 years.
I think this is called Detox. Rehab will follow. He needs to stay on the program to be successful.
Yeah I agree. I think he was only there for a couple of weeks to dry out and that’s it. There’s no real proof that he did 30 days. I think he detoxed and is now back to his old routine. Shrug. I suspect he’ll always struggle and will never fully recover.
Presumably he detoxed in the weeks before rehab when he hired a detox nurse.
I’m not buying it. His appearance at the Oscars was not that of someone who had been sober for a few weeks. A few days, maybe. A two-week stint in rehab for someone like him? Window dressing. From the looks of it he’s back to his old patterns, same routines. WB prob told him to detox or else. Prob also paid for Jen’s trip to Mexico, payment for keeping her mouth shut and playing along. He’ll be back to drinking and drugging again before you know it.
There is a deluge of recycled news stories about Ben-Jen on Twitter that look like robot posts. Also story after story in the entertainment venues about the rehab and also how this will positively work on his image which was spiralling downward. It does reek of a PR stunt, and that is just beyond sad.
She looks rather defeated in the pap pics from today. Shoulders slumped, no care put into her appearance at all. Shes back to babysitting him and it’s really too bad.
I thought the same thing. Addicts are incredibly manipulative.
Batdad is sober. Congrats.
He’s being so public about very new and brief sobriety. When he fails and falls off the wagon I won’t be surprised. He cannot stand that his image was in the toilet. That’s all this is, image repair. He went to rehab for a minute, boom, Jen lets him back in the house and now he’s back to doing pap strolls with the kids. No wonder she looks like her best friend died. It has to really suck to know that you’re living and co-parenting with a shyster. File, sis.
Blind Gossip has now “solved” their BI from 2/17 – “Four Conditions” – and it’s an interesting read. If you believe this, then it’s true it wasn’t just alcohol but also drugs that pushed Jen to the brink, as well as cheating once again. This is what I’ve been talking about. I’m really happy that Ben is getting help, but simply because he is, somehow everyone has suddenly forgotten that there were many other huge problems in their marriage – for years. I can absolutely understand supporting someone through addiction, but now we’re talking cheating too, yet again. I realize these problems are all tied together, but there’s a point where it’s irreparable for most people.
I was curious today so I looked at the us weekly she’s-going-to-file story. There were two sources: one that said she was going to file, and a second that added that he’d moved out. The second source could have just been wrong. But then, People saying that he’s “back in” seems to indicate that he was OUT at one point, right? lol I think it’s a hot story, very clickable, and tabloids are spinning stuff to fit the narrative they want. Totally agree that we’ll know nothing real until someone files or they put their rings back on.
Unless seone actually files or is public with another person we will continue to speculate.
I don’t think he did this on his own – either wb pushed him or Jen – saying I’ll die now and in your condition you will only have supervised visits. Just my gut
I took People’s wording to mean he’s back at the home after leaving rehab.
I’m cynical and I’ve watched Ben manipulate the press for many years. After reading the regular places (People, US, ET online, E, Gossip Cop, TMZ) to see what their “sources” are saying, it seems pretty clear what his new angle is going to eventually be: blame it on the alcohol. There’s no J. Lo this time. He goes to rehab for a minute or two, quickly releases an fb post, and the tabloids rejoice that he’s such a great guy, he’s doing it for his kids. Then he’s taking the kids to school again. Lots of pap strolls with them ahead. He used them to get his Family Man image and he’ll use them again to right the ship, believe it. He is obsessed with what other people think of him. I hope Jen doesn’t fall for it again. She really and truly deserves a better life and a better man than this.
Well, I think she has fallen for it again. Otherwise, she would have set some clear boundaries already. Sure, spend all the time you want with the kids, but you have your own place and we move on outside of coparenting, etc. She hasn’t done that, so the answer seems clear. I’m more amazed that everyone is so awestruck about the rehab admission that no one seems to care about the apparent “cheating” that also went on recently. PR is truly an amazing thing. This is his most recent comeback story, just starting again now. So never mind the pesky cheating.
Well according to some posters on the board he’s been home from rehab less than 48 hours so let’s give it some time. On the other hand, whoever said that they’ve already fallen back into their old routine is probably right. Nothing’s changed. HE hasn’t changed. It will be more of the same until he screws up again, and he will. She would be a fool to take him back now but then, she’s taken him back a thousand times before. It’s why he keeps screwing up. Doesn’t matter what he does, he can throw her a small bone and she’ll forget it all.
No credible outlet has hinted at recent hookups for Ben. Blind gossip don’t have Hollywood sources, unlike Lainey
@A – Sorry, not true. There are some blind sites that are clearly not credible, but BG tends to be and doesn’t post blinds from certain known unreliable sites.
It’s so obvious Ben has been miserable with her for a long time and has used alcohol to cope with his marriage. Matt Damon said they were never suited for each other and they weren’t. I believe they each truly love the kids but my gut says Jennifer is staying in this until it is finally over. I just don’t see her wanting to leave Ben’s side until it is official and she is forced too. They have been many stories including her own dad saying they were getting back together and then Ben’s camp issuing a denial. I just wish Ben would just file and move on.
I figured when he posted that to facebook last night that he was trying to get his statement out before a tabloid ran something but I was wrong. No print tabloid had this story today so I don’t think anyone sat on anything or had it last week. They may have suspected and been working on the story but didn’t have enough to run. I will be interested to see what details emerge about his short stay in rehab and in which publication (and what gets denied by GC).
Good for him. And good for her for not leaving him officially while he was in rehab – less about him and more about their kids. Put the family first. For a lot of people to be good at co-parenting they recognize the other parent as family even though they are no longer together. It helps the children realize that the battle between the parents has nothing to do with them…by not having the battle. It’s hard as hell but it’s worth it for your children.
Praise too all who have taken charge and now control their own life without the need for chemical crutches. Thank you for your stories , I’m sure it is a great help to other readers to know they aren’t alone and it can be overcome. I count my self lucky my family must have weird genes, because we can’t drink, one glass of wine and I’m yawning my head off for hours, two glasses and I’m sound asleep snoring my head off. Friends actively discourage me from having a glass of wine, because yawns are catching. Upside is that I have never had a hangover in my life.
I stopped drinking some 23 years ago…and always did wonder how someone could stay sober and juggle the kind of lifestyle etc. of a Hollywood celebrity…I think if Ben can stay sober hopefully he will get back to directing great movies and being happy. Thanks for your story too CB.
Who would’ve thought that being rich and famous wouldn’t be fulfilling enough to protect someone from becoming a drug addict?
I can’t stand all this negativity around here.Ben has publicly admitted his addiction, he asked for help to be a better father,in his own words, not speculation. he was criticized before because he did not take care of, now after the rehab he is convicted in the same way. at least grant him the benefit of doubt. I wish him health and serenity