Brad Pitt Opens Up About Drinking Again After Seven Years of Sobriety

Brad Pitt has revealed a significant change in his personal life, confirming that he began drinking alcohol again after maintaining sobriety for seven years.

The 62-year-old Oscar winner discussed the decision in a wide-ranging Esquire interview published August 10. Pitt, who has spoken candidly for years about quitting alcohol and attending Alcoholics Anonymous, said his current approach is different from his drinking before he became sober in 2016.

“I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon,” Pitt told the magazine.

Brad Pitt Says He Now Limits His Drinking

Pitt explained that he currently drinks alcohol but attempts to restrict the amount.

“In a more restrained manner,” he said when describing his return to drinking.

The actor acknowledged that there have already been occasions when he became overly confident about how much he could consume before realizing larger quantities were not good for him.

During the interview, Esquire writer Ryan D’Agostino noted that Pitt had offered him wine. Pitt responded by explaining that he believes he can have a few drinks but cannot have “a lot.”

“I have to be professional about it,” Pitt said.

His comments mark a notable departure from the complete sobriety he had publicly discussed for several years.

Pitt Stopped Drinking in 2016

Pitt’s sobriety journey began during an extremely turbulent period in his personal life.

Angelina Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016 after an incident aboard a private plane involving Pitt and members of their family.

Jolie subsequently made allegations concerning Pitt’s conduct during the flight. Pitt denied allegations of abuse. Authorities investigated the incident, but no criminal charges were filed against him.

Pitt and Jolie had married in 2014 after a relationship that began years earlier. Their divorce became one of Hollywood’s longest-running and most closely followed celebrity separations before it was finalized in December 2024.

Alcoholics Anonymous Became Important to Pitt

Pitt subsequently became unusually open about his decision to stop drinking.

In a 2019 interview with The New York Times, the actor said he had reached the point where he needed to remove his “drinking privileges.”

He spent approximately a year and a half attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Pitt said he was particularly affected by the honesty he encountered from other men in the group. Hearing people discuss their experiences without judgment created an environment in which he felt comfortable becoming more open himself.

His experience with AA would remain something Pitt discussed publicly even years after those initial meetings.

Pitt Previously Credited Bradley Cooper

Another Hollywood star also played an important role in Pitt’s sobriety story.

At the 2020 National Board of Review Awards, Bradley Cooper presented Pitt with the Best Supporting Actor award for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

During his acceptance speech, Pitt publicly thanked Cooper and said, “I got sober because of this guy.”

Cooper has discussed his own history with alcohol and drugs and has maintained his sobriety for more than two decades.

Pitt’s acknowledgment provided a rare public glimpse into the personal support system surrounding him during that period of his life.

He Revisited His Sobriety Journey in 2025

As recently as June 2025, Pitt was discussing how dramatically his life had changed when he initially sought help.

During an appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Pitt recalled being in an emotionally difficult position when he first attended AA.

He said he needed a “reboot” and was willing to try different approaches because he recognized that aspects of his life needed to change.

Pitt also remembered initially being surprised by how openly people talked during meetings.

Eventually, that environment became something he valued because other members’ vulnerability gave him permission to become more honest about his own experiences.

His Latest Comments Reveal a Different Approach

Pitt’s new interview changes what the public previously understood about his relationship with alcohol.

Rather than continuing complete abstinence, Pitt says he now drinks in limited amounts while recognizing that heavier consumption does not work for him.

Importantly, his remarks describe his personal choices rather than offering guidance about how other people should approach alcohol after experiencing drinking problems. Recovery and substance-use treatment are highly individual, and returning to alcohol can carry significant risks for some people.

For Pitt, however, the revelation represents another candid moment in a personal story he has discussed publicly for nearly a decade.

After years of identifying publicly with sobriety, Pitt is now acknowledging that his circumstances have changed while also making clear that he believes limits remain necessary.

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