Brad Pitt has a journey with sobriety over time.
Pitt attended Alcoholics Nameless in 2016 following an incident on a non-public jet along with his household which led to a baby abuse investigation. One week after the information broke, Angelina Jolie, whom Pitt married in 2014, filed for divorce. (Jolie and Pitt’s divorce continued in court docket till it was finalized in December 2024.)
Later that yr, the Los Angeles County Division of Youngsters and Household Providers cleared Pitt. In 2017, Pitt opened up about quitting ingesting and the way his life had improved.
“Personally, I can’t bear in mind a day since I acquired out of school after I wasn’t boozing or had a spliff or one thing. One thing. And also you understand that numerous it’s, um — cigarettes, you realize, pacifiers. And I’m operating from emotions,” he instructed GQ on the time. “I’m actually, actually pleased to be accomplished with all of that. I imply, I ended every thing besides boozing after I began my household. However even this final yr, you realize — issues I wasn’t coping with. I used to be boozing an excessive amount of. It’s simply turn into an issue. And I’m actually pleased it’s been half a yr now, which is bittersweet, however I’ve acquired my emotions in my fingertips once more.”
Maintain scrolling to see Pitt’s greatest quotes about getting sober:
Being Round Alcohol
At the beginning of Pitt’s struggles, he opened up about how he abstained from alcohol particularly whereas proudly owning his vineyard, Miraval.
“I take pleasure in wine very, very a lot, however I simply ran it to the bottom,” he mirrored to GQ in 2017. “ I needed to step away for a minute. And in truth I might drink a Russian underneath the desk along with his personal vodka. I used to be knowledgeable. I used to be good. Don’t wish to dwell that method anymore.”
Understanding When to Cease
Brad Pitt Maria Moratti/Getty Photographs
Pitt beforehand instructed the New York Times in September 2019 that he “had taken issues so far as” he might so he “eliminated” his “ingesting privileges.” When the actor sought restoration, he was surrounded by males going by means of related struggles.
“You had all these males sitting round being open and trustworthy in a method I’ve by no means heard,” he recalled. “It was this protected house the place there was little judgment, and subsequently little judgment of your self … It was really actually liberating simply to show the ugly sides of your self. There’s nice worth in that.”
Unhealthy Coping Mechanism
Throughout a sit down with Interview magazine in December 2019, Pitt referred to his ingesting behavior as an “escape” and “disservice” to himself.
“I feel we’re residing in a time the place we’re extraordinarily judgmental and fast to deal with folks as disposable. We’ve at all times positioned nice significance on the error. However the subsequent transfer, what you do after the error, is what actually defines an individual,” he mirrored. “We’re all going to make errors. However what’s that subsequent step? We don’t, as a tradition, appear to stay round to see what that individual’s subsequent step is. And that’s the half I discover a lot extra invigorating and fascinating.”
Help System
Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt Jamie McCarthy/Getty Photographs for Nationwide Board of Overview
Pitt credited pal Bradley Cooper as considered one of his influences to chorus from ingesting.
“I acquired sober due to this man,” Pitt mentioned after Cooper introduced him with the award for Greatest Supporting Actor for his function in As soon as Upon a Time in Hollywood throughout the 2020 Nationwide Board of Overview Annual Awards Gala. “And on daily basis’s been happier ever since.”
Making Connections in AA
Whereas in AA, Pitt fashioned a friendship with Dax Shepard.
“You go round in a circle, it’s type of a spiral as a result of it’s a extremely crowded room. Dax was normally close to the top as a result of he’s been there some time. He’s type of like an elder statesman. And I actually revered it,” he mentioned throughout a June 2025 look on Shepard’s “Armchair Skilled” podcast. “It was actually open, trustworthy, was a strategy to take no matter theme appeared to go within the night after which put it within the funniest bundle. And it meant so much to me, it actually did.”
Pitt added that when he was in AA the place he was at a low level.
“I used to be attempting something and everybody, something anybody threw at me. It was a tough time. I wanted rebooting,” he continued. “I wanted to wake the f*** up in some areas.”