Sobriety is a very personal subject, and it isn’t linear. For Brad Pitt, the notoriously private actor has been open about his decision to quit drinking in the past, and after seven years, the Oscar winner revealed that he is no longer sober.
The 62-year-old made the candid admission in a new interview with Esquire, revealing that he “got back off the wagon” after years without drinking.
After offering the interviewer wine, Brad revealed, “I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon.”
The F1 star explained that his return to drinking has been more controlled than it was in the past, though he acknowledged that he has tested his limits more than once.
“In a more restrained manner,” he said. “I got overconfident a couple times, went, Yep, nope, not good for me. Not in large quantities.”
© Stephane Cardinale – CorbisPitt said he can have a few drinks but believes he has to be mindful of it. “Well . . . I can have a few. But I can’t have a lot. I have to be professional about it,” he shared.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button star also said that he has grown to appreciate his mornings, giving him another reason to avoid drinking too much.
Brad Pitt’s sobriety journey
© AnadoluPitt’s decision to give up alcohol originally came during one of the most difficult periods of his life. Following his 2016 split from Angelina Jolie, Pitt began attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and eventually opened up about his sobriety publicly.
The former couple’s separation came shortly after an incident aboard a private plane involving Pitt, Jolie and their six children.
Jolie later made allegations about Pitt’s behavior during the flight, including claims that he physically harmed her and one of their children. Pitt has denied allegations of physical abuse, and the FBI investigated the 2016 incident without bringing charges.
In a 2019 interview with The New York Times, Pitt described his drinking at the time as something he ultimately had to confront. “I had taken things as far as I could take it, so I removed my drinking privileges,” he said.
He also spoke about attending AA meetings, describing the environment as a place where people could be honest about their struggles without judgment. “It was actually really freeing just to expose the ugly sides of yourself,” Pitt said at the time. “There’s great value in that.”
© GettyLast year, Pitt revisited that chapter of his life during an appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, recalling that he was “pretty much on my back” and “on my knees” when he decided he needed to change.
“I needed rebooting,” he said. “I needed to wake the f— up in some areas.” Pitt said he was inspired by the honesty of the men around him and the willingness to take responsibility for their mistakes.
“I am a stubborn f—, but I am also, when I’ve stepped in s—, I’m pretty good at taking responsibility for it and owning up to it,” he said. “And now it’s a quest to, you know, ‘What do I do with this? How can I right this and make sure it doesn’t happen again?’”
Brad opens up about mental health
TW: this section mentions suicide
The actor also reflected on the emotional toll of that chapter of his life in his Esquire interview, revealing that there was one period when his pain became overwhelming.
© Getty“I was never suicidal in any way,” Pitt said, explaining that he considers himself a “congenital optimist.” He went on to describe one exception, saying there was a period when he “just didn’t see a way out.”
“The pain was so oppressive that—I wasn’t going to act on this, but I could feel—I could feel the cold steel of the bullet in my head, and it felt like relief,” he said.
Pitt clarified that he did not intend to act on those thoughts and said his survival instinct ultimately kicked in. While he never mentioned anything specifically, he acknowledged it was due to “family stuff.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available. In the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or chat online at https://988lifeline.org/chat/.
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