Ben Affleck Reveals the Main Reason for His Drinking in New Magazine Interview

Actor and movie director Ben Affleck battled his way through alcohol addiction, and in an interview, he said that he indulged in drinking to avoid painful feelings.

Ben Affleck found a way out of alcohol addiction, and he's now telling his story to the world. In an interview with People on the publication's new weekly issue, the actor narrated his ordeal.

Affleck claimed that his new film, "The Way Back" wasn't about him being a voice for alcohol addiction, but that he is sharing his story as one way of erasing the stigma and shame surrounding issues of addiction.

The actor also spoke about his family's history with alcohol addiction, which doesn't make for good reading. Two of Affleck's grandparents were alcoholics. His father, Timothy, who has been sober for the thirty years, was also an addict.

Affleck's brother, Casey, also battled with alcohol addiction, but he's now sober. Such history made Ben believe that statistically, he was genetically bound to be an alcohol addict.

The former love birds sometimes went to each other's houses for coffee.

Another factor, that the 47-year-old actor cited as a reason for his indulgence with liquor, stemmed from his painful divorce from his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, who bore him three children.

The actor revealed that his life got stressful after the divorce due to feelings of pain and disappointment that it caused his kids. He further said:

"I didn't want to see them hurt. I found myself drinking more and more at night at home by myself. It was something I was doing to avoid dealing with painful feelings."

Ben Affleck previously described his divorce with Jennifer Garner as the biggest regret in his life. In an interview with The New York Times, the actor said he still felt guilty for his divorce with his ex-wife.

He, however, added that he had moved past the shame of the divorce, adding it was toxic and had no positive byproduct. The former couple separated in 2015, before finalizing their divorce two years later.

Affleck and Jennifer are co-parenting their three children and are great at it. An insider source revealed to Closer Weekly that the ex-couple's number one priority was their children, and that they both were terrific, hands-on parents.

The source further revealed that the actor and actress were getting a lot better with co-parenting, and also said that the former love birds sometimes went to each other's houses for coffee.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's three kids are 14-year-old Violet, 11-year-old Seraphina, and their only son, Samuel, who is aged seven.