Brad Pitt Opens Up About Breaking His Sobriety After Seven Years

In a candid and revealing interview with Esquire, Brad Pitt has confessed to stepping off the wagon after maintaining seven years of sobriety. With a laugh, the actor admitted, "I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon." He went on to explain that he'd grown overconfident at times and realized, "it wasn’t good for me," adding that his drinking hasn't been in "big quantities." The subject of sobriety arose during Pitt's sit-down at his stunning $12 million Los Angeles home, where the actor offered wine to his interviewer. When pressed about his current status regarding alcohol, Pitt clarified that he can enjoy a few glasses but "can’t have a lot." Elsewhere in the heartfelt conversation, Pitt spoke candidly about experiencing suicidal thoughts during a difficult period of his life, which he described as, "one little period of family stuff." He shared, "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." Pitt's journey with sobriety took a significant turn following an infamous 2016 drunken plane incident, which some believe contributed to the end of his marriage to Angelina Jolie. The pair split in 2016, and were legally declared single in 2019 before finalizing their divorce last year. Though Pitt remains estranged from his eldest children, he first publicly acknowledged his sobriety and joining a 12-step program in a 2019 New York Times interview. In the same year, he discussed his first AA meeting on Dax Shephard’s "Armchair Expert" podcast, expressing that he felt the need to reboot himself after trying various methods to combat his struggles. As Pitt's turn came up in the circle during his AA meetings, he found inspiration from the openness of others and embraced the experience, even finding a newfound love for it. If you or someone you know is struggling with similar issues, please call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).