Is recovering alcoholic Ben Affleck drinking again?

Radar Online is calling out Ben Affleck for drinking vodka while at the Sundance Film Festival. According to eyewitnesses, Affleck sat down beside Tommy Lee Jones at one of the parties, and Ben grabbed a bottle of Absolut and poured himself a drink. This is a big deal because Ben is an alcoholic, assumed to be in recovery since he attended rehab back in 2001, although if memory serves, Ben fell off the wagon a few times since then, and admitted as much. But this is the first report of Ben drinking in public that I can remember in years and years. Radar has photos of Ben allegedly drinking, but I really can’t make out what’s in his hand – but there are alcoholic beverages on the table in front of him… which still doesn’t mean anything. Here’s more:

Ben Affleck has fallen off the wagon and is boozing again despite swearing off alcohol for good when he checked into rehab in 2001, RadarOnline.com is reporting exclusively.

Affleck was seen drinking vodka at a Sundance Film Festival party this past weekend.
The actor flew to Utah to attend DirecTV’s The Company Men after party at Village at the Yard. He had just finished participating in the Haiti telethon, which taped in Los Angeles.

At the party for his new movie, Affleck “immediately sat down at a VIP table and grabbed the bottle of Absolut in front of him and poured a drink,” a source told RadarOnline.com.

Publicists, staffers and others were stunned because they know that Affleck is an admitted alcoholic. They got rid of all the photographers near the area to protect Affleck.

Affleck checked into Promises rehab in 2001. At that time his publicist said: “Ben is a self-aware and smart man who had decided that a fuller life awaits him without alcohol. He has chosen to seek out professional assistance, and is committed to traveling a healthier road with the support of his family, friends and fans.”

But Affleck has cleared veered off that healthier road. The source told RadarOnline.com that there was a lot of whispering about Ben drinking again, as staffers watched him toast with Tommy Lee Jones and pour down the vodka while they talked.

Affleck has been married to Jennifer Garner since 2005 and they have two children together.

[From Radar]

Of course it could all be crap. I want to believe that Ben has won the long-term battle with his alcohol and substance abuse, and with his gambling problem. I want to believe that he’s happy with Jennifer Garner and their two beautiful girls, and that he’s no longer that old Ben, the one that overshared and loved the limelight and ruined his promising career. We’ll see.

By the way, after publicly calling his wife out on her overshare, Ben and Jennifer were snapped together yesterday afternoon, both looking very happy and comfortable. So maybe there’s no trouble in paradise.

Ben Affleck in Sundance. Additional photos of Ben and Jen on January 26, 2010. Credit: Fame Pictures.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcXFmZ39wtdKYqZ6bn6uys7XNoJaapJOktbC4yJyWm52elK6nssuemqSXlKe2r7fIp56YmZeWtq97