Brad Pitt Ends Seven-Year Sobriety, Says He Now Allows Himself 'a Few' Drinks

Brad Pitt has revealed that his seven-year sobriety streak has ended, saying he now drinks again but keeps his alcohol consumption within strict limits. The F1 actor opened up about the change in a new Esquire interview published on 10 August.

'I was sober for seven years,' Pitt said. 'And then I got back off the wagon.' The 62-year-old actor stressed that he has not returned to heavy drinking. Instead, he said he now approaches alcohol with caution after learning his limits.

'I can have a few, but I can't have a lot,' he explained. 'I have to be professional about it.' Pitt said he has tested those boundaries before and quickly realised that too much alcohol is still not good for him. 'I got overconfident a couple times,' he said, before recalling the lesson, 'Yep, nope, not good for me. Not in big quantities.'

A Shift After Years of Sobriety

Pitt became sober after his 2016 split from Angelina Jolie, a period he has previously described as one of major personal reckoning. The actor has said he attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for more than a year as he tried to rebuild his life.

Speaking to Dax Shepard on Armchair Expert in June 2025, Pitt said those early meetings had a major impact on him.

'It was just incredible,' he said, describing men openly discussing their mistakes, pain and regrets with humour and honesty. Pitt admitted he initially struggled to open up, but said he eventually reached a point where he was willing to try anything.

'I was pretty much on my knees and I was really open,' he recalled. 'It was a difficult time. I needed rebooting.'

Bradley Cooper Helped Him Get Sober

Pitt has also credited Bradley Cooper with helping him begin his sobriety journey. When Cooper presented him with the Best Supporting Actor award in 2020, Pitt used part of his acceptance speech to thank him.

'I got sober because of this guy,' Pitt told the audience. 'And every day's been happier ever since.' He then added, 'I love you, and I thank you.'

The new interview makes clear that Pitt's relationship with alcohol has changed again, though he framed the shift as controlled rather than a return to his previous drinking habits.

Actor Reflects on Emotional Lows

Pitt also spoke candidly about his emotional life, saying he once wished he could be more even-tempered. He recalled a friend telling him that the human experience meant feeling everything, including 'the extreme highs' and 'the depths of the soul-crushing lows'.

The comment helped him stop treating his emotional intensity as though there was something wrong with him. 'That freed me,' Pitt said. 'I'm going to stop feeling like there's something wrong with that.'

Pitt also described one painful period involving 'family stuff' when he felt overwhelmed and could understand how someone might seek relief from deep emotional pain. He stressed that he had no intention of acting on those thoughts.

Pitt and Jolie's divorce was finalised in 2024 after years of legal battles. The former couple share six children, Maddox, Zahara, Pax, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne. Pitt declined to say whether the difficult period he described involved his children. 'Family stuff,' he said. 'We could leave it at that.'