Jason Bateman chose sobriety to improve his marriage

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jason Bateman, 57, explained that the tension his longtime relationship experienced because of his partying was a turning point in his life. “Amanda and I definitely had a few negotiations about the point at which the [partying] spigot was going to completely turn off,” he told the outlet. “She’d be like, ‘This drip, drip, drip is annoyingly unpredictable, Jason.’”

Bateman said those conversations stuck with him. Despite initially thinking sobriety might be something to aim for in the more distant future, he realized that acting sooner would help improve his marriage. “She didn’t demand that I completely absolve, but that was sort of the back-and-forth, and I was like, well, I feel like my [sobriety] ETA is six months away, but if I could land this plane now, it would alleviate a lot of the tension, so let’s just f—ing do it,” Bateman said.

While Bateman has embraced a version of sobriety sometimes described as “California sober,” meaning he abstains from alcohol and hard drugs but still uses marijuana, he acknowledges how important it was to make the change for the sake of his marriage.

Reflecting on his past, Bateman also noted that he’d seen the dangerous lows friends fell into due to substance abuse, and recognized that continuing on that path wouldn’t help him in life or his relationships.

Jason and his wife Amanda Anka married in 2001 and share two daughters.