Ben Affleck Looks Refreshed in First Appearance Following Alleged Relapse at Halloween Party

Ben Affleck was in a great mood Sunday morning when he visited ex-wife Jennifer Garner in Pasadena, just hours after he allegedly relapsed at a Halloween party Saturday night. The Triple Frontier actor, 47, stuck to his Boston roots by drinking Dunkin’ ice coffee as he walked from his car to Garner’s home. He was seen wearing a grey sweatshirt and jeans.

The public appearance came after Affleck was spotted at the UNICEF Masquerade Ball. As he left the event, held at the La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood, he was seen stumbling on the street. TMZ published video showing him needing to lean on an SUV to steady himself.

“Sobriety is difficult and elusive for everyone struggling with addiction,” a friend told PEOPLE after the video surfaced. “Ben has acknowledged he’s going to slip up from time to time. It was never as if this was simply behind him.”

Later, a source told PEOPLE Affleck came to terms with making a mistake during his efforts to stay sober.

“You could tell that it wasn’t an easy thing for him, but Ben owned his mistake,” the source said. “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… He looked tired.”

During his walk from his car to Garner’s home Sunday, paparazzi asked Affleck about the video.

“It happens. It was a slip, but I’m not going to let it derail me. Thank you very much, guys,” the Argo director said before walking up Garner’s driveway.

Affleck’s relapse happened after the multi-hyphenate used his celebrity to raise awareness for the Midnight Mission, an organization that helps those struggling with addiction. On Saturday, he admitted he was using the daying app Raya and used the moment to bring ask for donations for the group.

“Ha, you got me. 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,” Affleck wrote on Twitter. “The Midnight Mission is an incredible organization that helps those in need with housing, training, development and recovery.”

“I’m making a donation today because there are people battling addiction every day that don’t have the resources and need help,” he added. “Raya, you in? Who else is with me?”

Affleck and Garner have been co-parenting their three children – Violet, 13, Seraphina, 10, and Samuel, 7 – since they split in 2015. Their divorce was finalized in 2018, around the time Affleck went back to rehab. In October 2018, Affleck said he finished a 40-day stint at a rahabilitation facility and received outpatient care.

“Battling any addiction is a lifelong and difficult struggle. Because of that, one is never really in or out of treatment,” he wrote on Twitter. “It is a full-time commitment. I am fighting for myself and my family.”

Affleck was recently seen in Kevin Smith’s Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. His next film, The Way Back, opens on March 6, 2020.

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