Nicholas Cage's sobbing "I'm sorry" to his boss at the beginning of the film has always creeped me out. It's a weird apology because he really isn't THAT sorry, sorry enough to quit or get help for his addiction to keep his job or anything. He's just sorry he was confronted about it or caught and he had no defense to offer.
Oh he is you don't think he knows he is killing himself? The fact is he doesn't care anymore but I believe he is deeply sorry! Sorry for loosing his wife his job everything, all down the end of a bottle.
Alcoholics are the most selfish people you will come across and will use any old excuse to drink (I should know). But Ben's was different we don't get to know much of his past but im guessing he hit the bottle alot lost his wife and kid then fell behind at work. These things happen all the time and which is why this a classic film (albeit a tad depressing) but they can't all be like Transformers.