It’s been almost a full week since Ben Affleck checked into rehab following an intervention by his estranged wife Jennifer Garner, but new details are still emerging about the state of affairs that led the Oscar winner to seek help.
Sources close to Affleck revealed today that he had reached a new rock bottom in the days before he decided to accept treatment.
“Ben had been drinking alone for days,” a source tells People magazine.
“He was in bad shape. He had barely been eating and had not showered. It didn’t take much convincing. He wanted to go, and he cooperated.”
The insider claims that despite reports of Ben Affleck drinking heavily with Lindsay Shookus during their relationship, the SNL producer was actually a good influence and a stabilizing force in Ben’s life.
Apparently, it was only after Affleck and Shookus broke up that a distraught Ben went back to the bottle.
“He’s battled addiction for a long time now,” says the source, noting that Ben had been “constantly working on himself” but suffered a debilitating relapse after he and Lindsay parted ways.
The insider claims that after the breakup last month, Ben “went into a darker and darker place until he had to reach out for help.”
“When it was good it was really really good. When they were in the same time zone and not focused on other things it was good,” the source says of the tumultuous relationship.
“It became incredibly complicated with their families, with their jobs.”
“He really liked her. He loved that she was smart, funny, opinionated,” the tipster adds.
“When they were together it brought him a bit outside of his comfort zone. She brought a bit of fresh air into his life that he needed.”
After the breakup, Affleck became involved with Shauna Sexton, a 22-year-old Playboy model with a well-known penchant for partying.
It seems it was then that Garner decided to take action and intervened.
With the help of a professional sobriety coach, Garner arrived at her ex’s house unannounced.
While sources claim Affleck was drunk and belligerent throughout the intervention, he eventually agreed to seek treatment.
Jen was so intent on ensuring that he stayed true to his word that she drove him to the facility herself.
There’s no way of knowing how Ben has fared in the week since he first checked in, but those closest to the situation say he checked in with every intention of getting sober for the sake of his children.
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.