Ben Affleck said he considered his children before rekindling his romance with Jennifer Lopez

• Affleck said it "crossed his mind" how his kids would be affected by him dating Lopez again.
• "I know that my life affects them," he told Howard Stern.

Ben Affleck got candid about his personal life earlier this week while on "The Howard Stern Show."

The Oscar-winner admitted that it wasn't easy to rekindle his relationship with Jennifer Lopez because he didn't know how his kids would handle the tabloid attention.

"It crossed my mind for sure," Affleck told Stern, via People. "My responsibility to my children is the highest responsibility. I don't want to do anything that is painful or destructive to them if I can help it."

The actor has three children with his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner.

Affleck, who was on the show to promote his new Amazon movie "The Tender Bar," went on to say that he knows the fact that his children have celebrities for parents is "a cross to bear" for them.

"I know that my life affects them," he told Stern.

Affleck and Lopez first began dating in 2002 while making the movie "Gigli." That same year they got engaged but called it off and officially broke up in 2004. Affleck married Garner in 2005 and the two divorced in 2018. Affleck and Lopez rekindled their relationship over the summer.

Affleck also opened up to Stern about his alcohol addiction while being married to Garner, saying that the feeling of being "trapped" in his marriage was partly the reason for his drinking.

"I'd probably still be drinking," Affleck said if he was still with Garner.

"I was like 'I can't leave 'cause of my kids, but I'm not happy, what do I do?'" Affleck said. "What I did was drink a bottle of scotch and fall asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution."

Affleck has gone to rehab for alcohol abuse multiple times, including in 2018 when he and Garner finalized their divorce.

Garner reportedly encouraged Affleck to seek help before his 2018 stint in rehab.