Lindsay Shookus ‘is like Ben’s sober coach,’ makes sure people don’t drink around him

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I’m sorry I missed this story when it came out a few days ago. Jovi at Dlisted covered it and that’s how I found it. Page Six, which has received insider quotes straight from Ben Affleck’s camp before, has an article on how Affleck’s on-again girlfriend, SNL producer Lindsay Shookus, is helping him stay sober. It’s all about keeping him away from situations where people are drinking and also not drinking around him either.

Sources told Page Six that this time around, “Lindsay doesn’t drink around Ben,” and, “She isn’t keeping alcohol in her home…”

A source said that this time around, “she is like his sober coach.” At his new film’s premiere, “she made sure to not have any alcohol near him,” said a spy. “And she was making sure other people weren’t drinking around him.”

As for those ubiquitous paparazzi shots of the couple walking with giant coffees, our source explained, “They drink coffee a lot — she encourages that instead of alcohol.”

We’re also told Affleck has not recently attended any “SNL” after-parties, which are known to be freewheeling affairs with cast, hosts and stars.

[From Page Six via Dlisted]

Affleck is just over six month sober and a lot of alcoholics need this kind of support early in sobriety. It does seem a little extreme to me. I’ve never cared if people drink around me as long as they don’t get sloppy and expect me to take care of them and/or listen to them complain. (When people get wasted and want to listen to all their problems it’s the worst. I don’t mind if they do that when they’re a little tipsy! I hear that and think “you’re drunk every night, that’s your problem.” ) Most everyone close to me is really considerate and has asked me if it’s ok if they drink, and I don’t mind at all. Those people aren’t pressuring me to drink. Plus I keep alcohol at my house for guests, just not the kind I like the most. I eat sugary stuff a lot instead. Everyone has different ways of staying sober.

If this is the official word from Ben’s side it’s concerning though, like he’s still very tempted all the time. At least he’s working on that, but it sounds like he’s expecting yet another woman to help him keep his sh-t together. That means he’ll be looking for a side piece soon enough if he doesn’t have one already.

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Photos credit: Backgrid and Avalon.red

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72 Responses to “Lindsay Shookus ‘is like Ben’s sober coach,’ makes sure people don’t drink around him”

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  1. Muffy says:

    I think alcoholics like Ben are tempted all the time. It’s there, they want it.

    • Mel M says:

      Definitely and did anyone see those pics from their “night out” last night. My first thought was that he did not look sober but then again he looks sort of permanent bloated right now.

    • Dora says:

      If you see his latest pictures with her on DM he looks red, bloated and drunk.

      • lboogi says:

        Didn’t they used to party together when they first dated? I’m confused… did she go to rehab too?

  2. Kittycat says:

    What a wonderful relationship these two have!

    • angie0717 says:

      Lol! Exactly! Doesn’t she already have a small child at home? She should want more for herself. And so should he.

  3. Christina says:

    She’s in love, but she’s replaceable in his world. The speeding train wreck that is so damn compelling to watch because everybody gets to be a fool in love at some point.

  4. Michael says:

    She seems too smart to be his fool.

    • Ader says:

      This is where I’m at, too. I think these are two “smart” folks who genuinely bond on that level. Say what you will about Ben Affleck, he’s not a dumb guy. Self-righteous and obnoxious? Sure. Lacks common sense at times? Absolutely. But not dumb. And clearly she isn’t either, considering her career. Dummies don’t make it to the SNL executive team.

      It’ll be interesting to see how it all turns out. I’m actually rooting for him, as a fellow addiction journeyman.

    • Lena says:

      She’s not smart in the least if she signed up as his mommy -doormat -keeper and didn’t look at his history with women (as well as her very recent history with him disrespecting her) and stay away.

    • jules says:

      Emotional intelligence is different than IQ.

  5. Chef Grace says:

    Not buying this. I had a drinking problem when I was younger and found AA and Adult Children of Alcoholics my best help.
    Growing up with alkie parents I have zero tolerance for drunk people now.
    These two sad people are headed for the bottom again.

    • Good GRrrrrl says:

      I’ve been around the AA rooms since 1999 & Sober now a solid 8 years. No one can “prevent” a slip for someone else. I learned a total hard knocks no BS program. Right now w these two it seems like a shaky entitled addict + codependent. Textbook formula = disaster.

  6. Mego says:

    Lindsay – time for you to stop being the heroine of a Dolly Parton song. That is all.

  7. Dorothy#1 says:

    I just can’t get over how similar these two look!

    • EmmyB1608 says:

      I’ve never noticed it before, but they could be siblings! I think it’s the chin/jawline area in particular.

  8. Pineapple says:

    As I get older I find many people drink to excess. Like, there are a fair number of adults who aren’t necessarily happy with their lives and have to drink? I prefer early to bed, early to rise and great coffee. I am a ninety year old man in my habits. But …. actually a 46 year old woman so there is a problem. Crap … the problem is me isn’t it? The problem is me.

    I am not sure you should take on the responsibility for someone else’s health. That is Ben’s responsibility. His health, his responsibility.

    • Christina says:

      I’m with you, Pineapple. It’s got to come from inside of him to stick, especially with the financial and time freedoms he has. That and profesional help.

    • Riemc526 says:

      I was going to say something similar. At some point, Ben is going to have to deal with other people drinking around him organically. The whole world can’t just stop because he can’t have a drink. Sure it might be best early on but making sure other people don’t drink around him isn’t a sustainable solution. If he wants a drink, it’s certainly easy to find. He is responsible for his own health and I could see how Lindsay could easily become codependent trying to save him. I’m not saying that is what’s going to happen but it is a true story for most partners or spouses of alcoholics/addicts.

      • jessamine says:

        For the first decade of my uncle’s sobriety my aunt wouldn’t even keep vanilla extract in the house … now, thirty years sober, he buys my aunt’s favorite whiskey for her at Christmas. Throughout his journey he never pressured anyone to alter their habits, just occasionally removed himself from situations (work functions, etc.) when it was too much. When sobriety is new it can help to remove ay sign of temptation, but yeah eventually you are going to have to live in a world that includes alcohol and people who drink it and you have to learn to stay sober for yourself.

    • jules says:

      No one should take responsibility for someone else’s addiction. It’s called co-dependency.

  9. Mia4s says:

    Well…I guess we will see. I’m just not convinced we won’t see another Playboy model interlude.

    Oh and if there’s anyone left in the world who still buys the “they got together when he separated from Jennifer Garner” narrative? I have a bridge in Brooklyn and a tower in Paris to sell you. I mean, she was far from the first (although she may have been among the last straws) but it’s clear they’ve been carrying on a LONG time.

    • Yup, Me says:

      I would imagine that Jennifer reached a point where she decided she was done mothering him, considering she has three actual children to care for. A lot of marriages are done before they are officially over- especially when there’s addiction at play.

      • hannah says:

        How do you know that she’s done mothering him? She was still doing it as of six months ago. If he holed himself up in his house with another box of alcohol, what makes you think that she and her bible wouldn’t show up again?

    • Lucia says:

      Of course. Jennifer was done being his mother. I’m sure as far as she is concerned from a relationship perspective he’s Lindsay’s problem now.

      I get the feeling that as long as he’s sober and there for his kids, Jennifer doesn’t care who he dates and what he does. They strike me as the type of coparents where the second their youngest turns 18 that she won’t care about him at all.

      • Mimisnowball says:

        When the youngest is 18? So… in 12 years?! lmaooooo I’ll believe that Jen is done being his mother when he tailspins again and she stays out of it and lets him fix himself for once.

      • hannah says:

        I don’t understand this rationale. What’s this big change that’s supposed to occur when the kids become legal adults? Are you saying that at that point if Ben drops off the radar and barricades himself in his place with hookers and booze and ignores his kids, Jen will have given herself permission not to care because the kids are adults? She lets him participate in parenting on his own terms as it is. She acts grateful that she even gets that much from him.

  10. smee says:

    She got herself a fixer-upper! I’d prefer something in Upstate NY but its her project…

  11. Lisa says:

    Ben never learns. I expect this to be a mess soon enough.

  12. Lizzie says:

    ben affleck has a disease and it is sad for him and his family. but he is also a selfish asshole in ways that have nothing to do with his addictions. he shouldn’t be in a relationship right now. it isn’t fair to her, his family or his chances at recovery.

    furthermore – doesn’t this woman have children? seems like she spends a lot of time mothering her boyfriend.

  13. Darla says:

    This could be a good gig. But women who are reading about it, make sure YOU never apply for this gig. I mean, they are all over the place and you can easily get one. You don’t want it unless it’s Robert Downey JR, whose wife has a great gig as a motherwifekeeper, or someone like our Ben here.

    Unless there are RDJ or Affleck level bucks involved, do not apply for this position.

  14. Jennifer says:

    Her love can change him, you guys.

  15. Chrissym6 says:

    I find her parading around with him to be so sad. Didn’t he cheat on her with a playboy model? Wasn’t the issue that her child lives in New York and he wants her to live in LA . Now she is trying to keep him sober ? Ugh. She must like paparazzi and attention.

  16. iris says:

    She can do better than this walking, talking NPD patient. Hopefully she’ll wake up and see that before she throws away 13 of her best years like Garner did, or handcuff herself to him permanently with a child.

  17. Marcy says:

    Wonder who gave her the two Cartier love bracelets?

  18. Jen says:

    This is all a little rough. I’m not a fan of Ben, I think he comes across as a smug a-hole most of the time in fact, but talking about him looking drunk and this attempt being doomed is kind of cruel. If you’ve struggled with addiction and haven’t relapsed one, two, three, four etc times, I commend you. That’s incredibly strong and deserves all the praise in the world. Doesn’t mean it’s the case for everyone or most people I’ve worked with.

    Staying away from alcohol is probably the best thing for him right now. Some people can have it around them all the time or even in their home, but that takes incredible willpower when you’re in recovery, especially newly sober. Do I agree with his girlfriend taking on the role of his sober minder, no, but I can’t fault her for trying to keep that away from him.

    • Kebbie says:

      Agreed. I mean isn’t it common knowledge everyone’s journey with addiction and dependence is different?

      I’m surprised to see people essentially saying he shouldn’t need these boundaries because they didn’t/don’t. If you can keep alcohol in your house and hang around people who are drinking, that’s great for you. Ben obviously can’t handle that right now.

      • JennErinMS says:

        I was coming to say the same thing regarding the differences in every person’s path to sobriety. My dad was an extreme alcoholic when I was young and I doubt he would have ever gotten sober without something drastic occuring. That time came one night when he was pulled over after drinking almost a case of beer during Mardi Gras. The fact that I was 9 years old and with him combined with the look on my mother’s face when she arrived at the jail was enough to force him to admit he had a problem and take the necessary steps to get help. That was the last time he ever took a sip of alcohol but for the first few years he couldn’t be around it because he didn’t trust himself. Now, 26 years later, he has no problems being around people who are drinking but in the beginning his grip on sobriety was tenuous at best. Even now he still considers himself an alcoholic, albeit a sober alcoholic, and won’t touch anything that even remotely tastes of alcohol (bread pudding with whiskey sauce, beer bread, etc.) because he’s afraid of spiraling out of control again.

  19. LondonLozza says:

    I guess that she and Jen Garner will be throwing pity parties and pap walks together when it all comes crashing down. Again.

    Beerfleck can’t and won’t take responsibility when other people, particularly the women (deliberate plural) in his life, are prepared to do all the heavy lifting so he doesn’t have to try too hard beyond a superficial “I’m sorry” everytime he cocks up.

  20. Lara says:

    This is not gonna end well.

  21. elimaeby says:

    Something about her, I don’t know if it her face of her body language, but she just comes off as mean to me.

  22. Kourtney says:

    How many years did Jen Garner waste on this man, trying to patch him up, holding his hand, wiping his butt, trying to make him a better person? He still treated her like trash and humiliated her publicly. I have a problem with women like Jen and Shookus throwing their time away on someone like him, who even under the best of circumstances is not a great partner. I don’t know what his and Lindsay’s deal is, but she needs to wake up and move on. He’s not worth it. This will end in more tears.

  23. Mary says:

    I would never go public with Ben again if I was Lindsay. Fine if you want to see him again cuz you can’t quit him, but man..after the bunny and the back/forth with his motherwifekeeper Jen Garner..I couldn’t show my face with him in public again!

    At least keep your options open and date other men, damn!

    • bethany says:

      Who says she isn’t? Shookus seems to be perfectly capable of having her cake and eating it, too. That isn’t just for men.

      • Lena says:

        She needs to publicly date other men then. It would serve him right after the bunny. If they had been exclusive then the bunny has proven she has no pride. And this PR plant that she’s some kinda sober coach would be a little more believable if they stopped “going out on the town” and calling the paps.

      • bethany says:

        “Publicly”? She isn’t famous and is barely pap’d when she’s not with him, get a grip. You seem emotionally invested in these strangers’ love lives.

      • Lady D says:

        Maybe, bethany, but I can guarantee you that if Lindsay were to walk down the street with any man other than Ben, she will be noticed, photographed and talked about.
        She also not exactly a nobody. She’s been nominated for nine Emmys and has won three of them.
        p.s., the phrase ‘get a grip’ isn’t exactly a non-emotional response.

      • Mimisnowball says:

        Photographed by whom? She is not a celebrity and is not followed in NYC. We don’t know what her daily life is there.

  24. Who is the paunch with the horrific tie?

  25. Pandy says:

    Ben’s got a new Mommy! And for that, she will be publicly humiliated again down the road as he will dislike having a gatekeeper and pull some passive-aggressive BS stunt.

  26. Case says:

    Of course she should be supportive of her boyfriend being sober and try her best to help, but I hope it’s an exaggerating that she’s like his sober coach. That sounds like a lot of responsibility and pressure for a girlfriend, who (I feel) should merely be moral support.

  27. Prim says:

    She really needs to get to a CoDA meeting and get working on herself.

  28. MariettaJ says:

    The problem with her being “the sober coach” is the bs they’re throwing at us. She has always enabled him “supposedly”… now all of a sudden, she’s changed and wants to help him with his sobriety. Just about every time she’s with him he looks horrible. Drunk or high or both. Bloated and red faced. She doesn’t care about him in the slightest, just likes being the “fun” gf. I’ve been sober for 13 years. It sucks and it’s f’n hard still. Someone needs to slap the shit out of him and her. They are obviously not good for one another. This will end badly…yet again.

  29. Lady D says:

    Congratulations, @Celebitchy. It takes more strength than most people have to quit alcohol. Isn’t it fantastic finding out just how strong you really are?

  30. jccw says:

    I will apologize now if I’m wrong, but I don’t buy the “sober coach” and encouraging him to drink coffee instead. That puts alot of pressure on her if he fails, ( she will get some of the blame for sure) and also puts pressure on him to stay sober so she doesn’t look bad. A pretty stupid PR move in my opinion. My two cents, neither is drug or alcohol free. She joined him for the Triple Frontier world tour, now in LA. I feel for her daughter (?? their daughter), long time without mom, unless of course Lindseys’ daughter joined them for the premieres and is in LA also. Yup…that’s probably a no.

  31. A says:

    I don’t like this because at first, it was all, “Lindsay is enabling his addictions she’s bad!!!” And now they’ve done a complete 180 on that, and they’re so over the top in the process of it too.

    Talking about how your girlfriend is encouraging you on your sobriety is great. Likening your girlfriend to your sober coach isn’t. I feel like those two things shouldn’t overlap in any capacity, even if it’s just a hyperbole. Being a sober coach is a lot of work, and I always got the impression from Ben that he expects the people around him to take responsibility for his life when that’s his job.

  32. Littlefishmom says:

    If she cares for him and wants to help him who is anyone to judge? Addiction is a terrible terrible disease that truly never goes away. Hopefully he has the strength to remain sober.

  33. Maiglöckchen says:

    Every girl(friend) dreams of being described as such: “she’s like Ben’s sober coach.” I’d be mortified if anyone ever called me this. I agree with the earlier comments, this train wreck is headed off another cliff.

  34. Carolnr says:

    When you are dating someone, it is supposed to fun & easy…after all you are in love. You are supposed to have butterflies, not anxiety about worrying if someone is sober when you are not together on the same coast!
    They both seem to live hard & complicated lives, regardless of their economic means…