Brad Pitt has revealed he is drinking alcohol again after seven years of sobriety.
Speaking to Esquire, the actor explained that he no longer considers himself sober, but said he is now much more careful about how much he drinks.
“I was sober for seven years,” Brad said. “And then I got back off the wagon.”
Warning – this article discusses suicidal thoughts.
He added that he now drinks “in a more restrained manner” after becoming overconfident about his limits on a couple of occasions.
Brad Pitt’s previous sobriety journey
Brad has spoken openly about attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after Angelina Jolie filed for divorce in 2016. During a 2025 appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, he described that period as a difficult time when he felt he needed to make changes in his life.
The actor has also credited Bradley Cooper with inspiring his decision to become sober. When Bradley presented him with an award in 2020, Brad told the audience: “I got sober because of this guy. And every day’s been happier ever since.”
Brad Pitt reflects on painful ‘family stuff’
Elsewhere in the Esquire interview, Pitt looked back on an intensely painful period involving what he would only describe as “family stuff”.
He also discussed a period where he battle dark thoughts.
“In that one little period, I just thought—I just couldn’t—just didn’t see a way out,” he explained. “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 there was a time when the emotional pain felt so oppressive that he could understand why somebody might view death as relief. However, he stressed that he did not intend to act on those thoughts and said his survival instincts quickly took over.
When asked whether the situation involved his children, who have reportedly become estranged from him, Brad declined to provide further details.
“Family stuff,” he replied. “We could leave it at that.”
Reflecting on the difficulties he has faced despite his success, the actor added: “This s*** ain’t easy.”
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