Ben Affleck has suffered a relapse in his sobriety

Ben Affleck has suffered a setback in his sobriety. The actor was caught by paparazzi stumbling and holding on to the side of an SUV while wearing a white mask outside a Halloween party on Saturday night, marking a derailment in his ongoing battle with alcohol addiction.TMZ photographed Affleck on Saturday night while the actor was leaving La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood for the Unicef Masquerade ball. Affleck was reportedly having difficulty walking and used the SUV to steady himself, at one point even leaning against the vehicle to stop himself from falling. TMZ was also outside Affleck’s ex-wife Jennifer Garner’s house the next morning and spoke to the actor, who admitted he had relapsed. Speaking to a TMZ paparazzo, Affleck can be seen in the video looking rested and sober, saying “It happens. It was a slip. But I’m not going to let it derail me.”According to People, Affleck has apologized to his ex and owned up to his mistakes. A source close to the actor told People “You could tell that it wasn’t an easy thing for him, but Ben owned his mistake. He said it happens, that he slipped up but that it won’t happen again. It was a smart move because now the story is basically over.”Garner has been a continuing source of support for Affleck, even driving her ex-husband to a treatment facility in August 2018. The former couple share three children and have managed to maintain their friendship while co-parenting, with Garner often spotted walking around Los Angeles with Affleck’s mother.Affleck has been transparent about his battle with alcohol addiction, posting a heartfelt statement after his last trip to a rehab center in 2018. Encouraging others to seek help, Affleck wrote “the support I have received from my family, colleagues and fans means more to me than I can say.”A story broke earlier this week about Affleck using the exclusive dating site Raya, prompting the actor to once again be transparent and post a message confirming he was dating while also turning the story into a push for donations to a charity he supports. “I’m dating. But let’s be serious for a moment and talk about something that is actually important. I have been in recovery for over a year and part of that is helping out others,” wrote Affleck, who name checks The Midnight Mission, an organization that helps provide support for the homeless. Calling out the dating service, Affleck continues, writing “I’m making a donation today because there are people battling addiction every day that don’t have the resources and need help. @raya, you in? Who else is with me?” Now that’s a great way to stir up some publicity for a worthy cause.[video_embed id='6008549348001']Ben Affleck 'doing great' after rehab stint[/video_embed]