The 49-year-old Oscar winner – who rekindled his romance with pop star Jennifer Lopez earlier this year – said on The Howard Stern Show he turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism when he realised he was no longer happy with Garner, who is the mother of his three children.
The high-profile pair were married in 2005 before announcing their split in 2015.
"We probably would've ended up at each other's throats. I probably still would've been drinking," Affleck candidly admitted.
"Part of why I started drinking was because I was trapped. I was like, 'I can't leave because of my kids, but I'm not happy, what do I do?' And what I did was drank a bottle of scotch and fell asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution.
"Ultimately we tried. We tried. We tried because we had kids, but both of us felt like we didn't want this to be the model that our kids see of marriage.
"The truth was we took our time, we made the decision, we grew apart. We had a marriage that didn't work. I knew she was a good mum, and I hoped she knew I was a good dad. I had to get sober, and I acknowledge that."
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were married for 10 years. Photo / Getty Images
Twitter users had some choice words for Affleck, however, saying he needed to take responsibility for his alcohol issues and not blame his ex-wife, who famously took him to rehab in 2018 despite being separated at the time, even passing through a Jack in the Box drive thru to get him some fast food beforehand.
Look up narcissism and you’ll find something that looks like this. “Ben Affleck's cruelty knows no limits after terrible Jennifer Garner insult” @BenAffleckhttps://t.co/L1y7hkhAXg via @nypost
hate seeing that ignorant ben affleck quote on my timeline, a man that freely abandoned his wife and kids after constantly betraying them..claims *he* felt trapped. he probably just couldnt handle the guilt he felt living with someone who was actually showing up for their family
The casual misogyny in these headlines, all of which assume Ben Affleck's story. Jennifer Garner is STILL doing emotional labor for this guy. pic.twitter.com/vfVXSlCAUv
Affleck and Lopez went public with their relationship in July this year, after previously being engaged in 2002 before splitting two years later.
During his interview with Stern, the Gone Girl actor said he had reservations about reigniting a relationship with the US pop star due to the intense media interest surrounding their union.
Affleck and Jennifer Lopez rekindled their romance in April this year, before going public in July. Photo / Getty Images
"It crossed my mind for sure. My responsibility to my children is the highest responsibility. I don't want to do anything that is painful or destructive to them if I can help it," he said.
Despite this, it appears Affleck is happier than ever. In a recent interview with WSJ magazine, he said his relationship with Lopez was "beautiful".
"I can say that it's definitely beautiful to me," Affleck told the publication earlier this month. "And, you know, one of the things I really value across all facets of my life now is that it was handled in a way that reflected that.
"It's a good story. It's a great story. And, you know, maybe one day I'll tell it. I'll write it all out … and then I'll light it on fire."
