Ben Affleck Ready To ‘Start Dating Again’ Amid Divorce From Jennifer Lopez

Ben Affleck is reportedly ready to get back into the dating scene after his split from his wife, Jennifer Lopez, who filed for divorce from the actor in August.

However, according to a source, Affleck has a non-negotiable for the woman he dates: she must be “sober” or “recovering.”

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are yet to finalize their divorce as they are currently undergoing “meditation” to ensure the amicable sharing of their assets.

According to the Daily Mail, Affleck is set to date again; however, an insider noted that the “tough” fallout from his divorce from Lopez has made him realize how important it is for him not to jeopardize his “sobriety.”

“Ben has not given up on relationships and finally feels ready to move forward and start dating again,” a source told the news outlet. “He is not going to jump into anything serious until the divorce is finalized, but that does not mean he cannot date.”

The source continued, “He only wants to date someone who is sober or in recovery. These past two years have been tough for Be,n and as he begins to heal, one thing is very clear: his recovery comes before anything. He is not going to put his sobriety in jeopardy.”

Amid early rumors of his and Lopez’s marital woes, reports claimed that friends of Affleck were worried he might relapse and start drinking again due to the media’s focus on their romance.

The source further noted that Affleck was particularly fond of the reports that there were fears he might relapse due to his split from Lopez.

“Ben tries to avoid reading the news but it did upset him that people thought he relapsed because he had not,” the source told the Daily Mail.

They added, “Like every alcoholic, Ben just wakes up with one goal in mind. To stay sober for that day.”

Affleck has been open about his struggle with alcoholism in the past, admitting in 1998 that he stopped drinking a year prior because he began to regret the things he did when he was drunk.

“I just wanted to stop,” the actor said at the time. “I started regretting some things I did when I was drunk. It’s funny to be obnoxious or out of control, but then it’s like, ‘I think I hurt that person’s feelings,’ ‘I made a fool of myself,’ or ‘I didn’t want to kiss that girl.’ I have almost no inhibitions, so it’s dangerous for me.”

Shortly after Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck, confirming their split, rumors began swirling that the actor and Kick Kennedy were quietly seeing each other.

According to TMZ, rumors upset Affleck and left him feeling “wicked p-ssed.” Insiders told the news outlet that he found the rumors ludicrous and that he was “annoyed” by all the gossip.

Sources close to Kennedy also said she had been telling people in her circle that she was “definitely not dating Affleck.”

At the time, multiple sources told People Magazine that Affleck and Kennedy, the daughter of former U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., had been “spending time together”  since June and that he was her celebrity crush.

“Kick’s celeb crush has always been Ben,” a source told the news outlet. However, Affleck’s rep, Jen Allen, distanced the Oscar winner from rumors that he’s dating Kick.

“The rumors are not true,” Allen told Fox News, adding in another statement that she “doesn’t know if they even know each other.”

After Affleck’s rep shut down the Kick romance claims, a source told the Daily Mail that the actor was worried it would be an issue in his divorce from Lopez.

“Ben should have said nothing,” an insider told the news outlet. “He tried to erase Kick from his existence, and it was just not fair for her or for anyone who knows her.”

“He is trying to pull the ‘I don’t know her’ card but what he failed to realize is that they weren’t the only two people in the world that knew that they used to hook up, or that they were hanging out again,” the source added. “He fears that this will affect his divorce and, even though there was no overlap, saying he didn’t even know her was not the right move.”

A second source claimed that Affleck was trying to stay out of the news as he doesn’t like “the intrusion that comes with celebrity.”

The singer shared that the breakup was “f-cing hard,’ confirming that her decision to file for divorce in August wasn’t one she took with levity.

Lopez also revealed that her split from the “Argo” star has been quite the emotional rollercoaster. While she has yet to process it fully, she has learned some deep lessons about herself.

“It feels lonely, unfamiliar, scary. It feels sad. It feels desperate,” the singer told the publication.

She added, “But when you sit in those feelings and go, ‘These things are not going to kill me, it’s like actually, I am capable of joy and happiness all by myself. Being in a relationship doesn’t define me. I can’t be looking for happiness in other people. I have to have happiness within myself.”