Brad Pitt Reveals He’s No Longer Sober After Seven Years and Opens Up About Darkest Days
Brad Pitt has revealed that he is no longer completely sober after maintaining his sobriety for seven years, admitting that he recently “got back off the wagon.”
The Oscar-winning actor opened up about his relationship with alcohol during an interview with Esquire published Monday. Pitt explained that he had remained sober for seven years before deciding to drink again, although he emphasized that he now approaches alcohol much more cautiously.
“I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon,” Pitt admitted with a laugh. He clarified that his drinking is now more controlled and said he has learned to recognize when it is becoming unhealthy for him.
Pitt explained that there have been a few occasions when he became overly confident about his ability to drink responsibly. “I got overconfident a couple times,” he said, acknowledging that he quickly realized alcohol was still something he needed to handle carefully.
The topic came up after Pitt offered the Esquire interviewer a glass of wine while they were talking at his $12 million Los Angeles residence. The moment prompted a conversation about his current approach to drinking.
Pitt said he can now enjoy a few glasses of wine but knows he cannot consume large amounts. “I can have a few,” he explained, adding that he has to remain disciplined and “be professional about it.”
During the candid conversation, Pitt also opened up about one of the darkest periods of his life. While discussing difficult family circumstances, the actor said he experienced suicidal thoughts during what he described as “one little period” of intense emotional pain.
Pitt recalled that the suffering felt overwhelming, saying he could imagine the sensation of a bullet in his head and that the thought strangely felt like relief. He stressed that he was not planning to act on those thoughts, but the experience demonstrated just how emotionally difficult that period had become.
His struggles with alcohol became especially significant following a reported 2016 incident involving a private plane. The alleged incident occurred while Pitt was traveling with his family and was later associated with the breakdown of his marriage to Angelina Jolie.
Jolie subsequently made allegations in court documents that Pitt had physically harmed her and one of their children during the 2016 flight. The former couple share six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne.
Pitt and Jolie, who starred together in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” were declared legally single in 2019 after their highly publicized separation. Their divorce and related legal disputes were eventually settled in 2024.
Pitt has previously spoken openly about his decision to stop drinking. In a 2019 interview with The New York Times, he revealed that he had turned to a 12-step recovery program after realizing he needed to make a major change in his life.
“I had taken things as far as I could take it, so I removed my drinking privilege,” Pitt said at the time, describing sobriety as an important step in taking responsibility for his behavior and well-being.
He later discussed his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting during an appearance on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast. Pitt described the experience as “amazing” and recalled arriving at a point where he was essentially “on his knees” and knew he needed to make significant changes.
The actor said he was willing to try different approaches during that difficult period and was open to whatever might help him rebuild his life. He described the experience as challenging but said he ultimately felt that he needed what he called a personal “reboot.”
Pitt also admitted that attending his first AA meeting was intimidating, particularly as his turn to speak approached. However, seeing other people openly discuss their own struggles encouraged him to be vulnerable as well.
He recalled how the honesty within the group gave him the confidence to step outside his comfort zone and confront parts of himself he had previously avoided. Over time, Pitt said he developed a genuine appreciation for the experience and the community he found through recovery.
Support Information: If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol or substance use, help is available through SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
