Ben Affleck happy to talk about alcoholism

***image_caption***

Ben Affleck has admitted alcoholism is a "part of [his] life" so he is happy to talk about his addiction.

The 46-year-old actor admitted it "doesn't really bother" him to speak about his struggles with alcohol and current sobriety and he feels proud that he has been to rehab and tackled his problem.

Speaking on 'Today', he said: "It doesn't really bother me to talk about alcoholism and being an alcoholic.

"It's part of my life, it's something that I deal with.

"It doesn't have to subsume my whole identity and be everything but it is something that you have to work at.

"I had a problem and I really want to address it and I take some pride in that.

"It's about yourself, your life, your family... we encounter these kinds of hurdles and we have to deal with them."

And the 'Triple Frontier' star praised his "wonderful" ex-wife Jennifer Garner for being such a "great mom" and support to their three children, Violet, 13, Seraphina, 10, and seven-year-old Samuel.

He said: "She's wonderful. When somebody's the mother of your kids, they're going to be the most important central person in your life and that's good.

"I hope I'm a pretty good dad. I certainly try very hard. I'm lucky they got a great mom, and she helps out a great deal with making sure that we co-parent in as good a way as possible.

"Dads are so important to kids, and it's our responsibility to be there for them -- to be present, to be mindful, to be attentive, to be part of their lives, to be as in it as moms.

"That's really the central preoccupation in my life. The focus of my life is what I love doing. It's what makes me happy, and the rest of the stuff kind of follows."