Brad Pitt, 62, has revealed he is drinking again after maintaining a seven-year period of sobriety. The actor’s announcement follows a long, public history of managing addiction and personal growth spanning several decades.
The 2006 transition from marijuana to fatherhood
Brad Pitt's journey with sobriety began long before his recent announcement, rooted in a decision to quit marijuana during the Noughties. Following the adoption of Maddox, Zahara, and Pax in 2006, and the subsequent arrival of Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne, the actor sought to be more "alert" for his children. he previously noted that his marijuana use had even impacted his education, leaving him just two credits short of graduating college.
The actor has described his younger years as a period of being a "drifter" who felt he was wasting his opportunities. He famously remarked that his heavy cannabis use in the late 1990s made him feel as though he was "turning into a doughnut." A pivotal moment in this early sobriety was a trip to Morocco, where witnessing extreme poverty and social injustice inspired him to clean up his act and move away from his previous lifestyle.
A seven-year sobriety streak and the Daily Mail report
The recent news that Pitt is "off the wagon" marks a significant shift after a seven-year period of abstinence from alcohol. While the revelation may surprise fans, a source close to the actor's camp told the Daily Mail that this return to drinking has been a "gradual process in recent years." This suggests that the transition was not a sudden lapse but a slow shift in his lifestyle.
In the past, Pitt had replaced alcohol with healthier alternatives like "cranberry juice and fizzy water." He once described himself as a "professional" drinker who could out-drink a Russian with his own vodka,but ultimately realized he needed to rmeove his "drinking privileges" to avoid further damage. As the report notes, his commitment to recovery remains a central part of his life despite this recent change.
The fallout from the 2016 private jet incident
The actor's relationship with alcohol has been deeply intertwined with his highly publicized personal life, particularly his 2016 split from Angelina Jolie. During that period, accusations surfaced regarding an intoxicated incident on a private jet involving his family. This era also saw the management of Château Miraval, the winery he co-owned with Jolie.
Pitt has been candid about the toll his drinking took on his business and personal stability, admitting that he "just ran it to the ground" regarding the winery. He told the New York Times in 2019 that he had taken his substance use as far as it could go, prompting him to seek a different path to avoid "running from feelings" through substances.
Whether AA remains a part of his current routine
While Pitt has previously credited Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a "wake up call" that provided a judgment-free safe space, it remains unclear how his recent drinking affects his involvement with the organization. The source material does not specify if he has returned to the program or if he is managing his consumption differently. Additionally, it is unknown if the support he once received from peers like Bradley Cooper—whom Pitt credited at the 2020 National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala for helping him get sober—will play a role in this new chapter of his life .
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