It can be difficult to stay sober. Even if you’re rich, famous, and have a wealth of resources at your disposal, you can still struggle with becoming sober and staying that way.

Ben Affleck is a case in point. On August 23, 2018, different sources reported that the actor and director was struggling with alcohol abuse and was entering rehab for the third time. He previously attended rehab facilities in 2001 and 2017.

In August, 2018 Affleck was separated from his wife, actress and producer Jennifer Garner. Garner allegedly staged an intervention to convince Affleck to enter rehab.

Interventions can be an effective tactic to address alcohol and drug abuse and address the topic of treatment. During a confusing and emotional time, interventions can give information and hope to addicts and their loved ones.

During interventions, people can discuss how drug and alcohol abuse has hurt them and their fears about what can happen if such abuse continues. Interventions also give specific information about rehabs and the treatments they offer. This can be comforting for people who might not know what will happen next.

In 2018, Affleck might have had some indication what would happen next. This would have marked his third stint in a rehab facility.

His situation, while sad, is not unusual. Many people go to rehab or seek treatments more than once. A former surgeon general of the United States stated that addiction is a chronic disease. This means that addiction is a condition that people fight for their entire lives, not a condition that they treat once so it can disappear and not return.

In this view, there is no permanent cure for addiction. But, there are many tools that can help people stop drinking or using drugs and can help them explore why they do so in the first place. Many of these tools can be enhanced with support from loved ones, as Garner’s intervention illustrates.

Addiction is powerful. But, so are social interactions.