Jennifer Garner Found Ben Affleck ‘Drinking Alone For Days’ When She Took Him To Rehab, Per ‘Daily Mail’

Before Jennifer Garner drove Ben Affleck back to rehab at The Canyons Rehab Facility in Malibu, friends say he was in a bad way as he wasn’t caring for himself as he fell off the wagon. Affleck had broken things off with girlfriend Lindsay Shookus.

The Daily Mail says that Affleck had been in treatment for some years and had worked with a sober coach, but had lost his way recently while he was in between projects. Friends say that the 46-year-old actor didn’t fight the offer of help from his soon-to-be ex-wife.

“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. He knew he needed help and was vocal about it.”

The actor had been battling the demons on his own for days when Garner showed up at his house with an addiction counselor in the hope of getting him to go with them to The Canyons. Friends say that Affleck has been open to improvement and realizes that he gets in a funk from time to time.

“He’s battled addiction for a long time now. He has been constantly working on himself.”

Ben Affleck was 'drinking alone for days in his LA home' https://t.co/vfKwLnIn5G via @DailyMailCeleb

— Gabriela Nazal (@GabrielaNazal) August 29, 2018

Friends added that this latest setback was likely a result of his breakup with SNL producer Lindsay Shookus, which had issues as a result of the long distance and the fact that Affleck started drinking again.

“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. It became incredibly complicated with their families, with their jobs.”

Shookus initially attended meetings with Affleck, but in the end, it became too much.

“He loved that she was smart, funny, opinionated. 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.”

Ben Affleck had also just wrapped two major films and suddenly had downtime, which left him with too much free time.

“Ben’s issues with substance abuse seem to reach a destructive phase when he’s not working. His addiction doesn’t seem as powerful when he is working.”

Affleck is well aware of his substance abuse struggles and wants to keep fighting them, mostly for the children he shares with Jennifer Garner. Luckily, Affleck has a lot of friends, and even his soon-to-be former wife who keeps tabs on him.

“Ben has a substance abuse problem with alcohol, which has been on and off for a very long time; he’s been battling these demons for years. He’s currently in rehab, and it’s likely he’ll be in and out of treatment more times in the future. But the good news is that this doesn’t affect his work. He’s an Oscar-winning director, he’s well-liked in Hollywood, and there’s a lot of sympathy for him — he’s still working, people want to work with him.”