MANILA, Philippines — Oscar-winning actor Brad Pitt said he resumed drinking alcohol after maintaining sobriety for seven years, but now limits how much he drinks.
Pitt disclosed the change in his sobriety journey during an interview with Esquire for its September 2026 issue. The actor told writer Ryan D’Agostino that he had been drinking wine and described his current approach as more restrained.
“I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon,” Pitt said.
Pitt said he now drinks only a few glasses of wine and tries to keep his consumption under control.
“I got overconfident a couple times,” he said, adding that those experiences did not end well. “I have to be professional about it.”
Pitt began his sobriety journey after his divorce from Angelina Jolie. He previously credited fellow actor Bradley Cooper with helping him stop drinking.
“I got sober because of this guy. And every day has been happier ever since,” Pitt said while accepting the Best Supporting Actor award at the 2020 National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
Pitt also discussed his recovery during a 2025 appearance on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast. He described attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for more than a year, where participants shared their experiences and struggles with alcohol.
“I was pretty much on my knees and I was really open,” Pitt said at the time. “I was trying anything, anything anyone threw at me. It was a difficult time. I needed rebooting.”
Pitt eventually continued his sobriety efforts on his own after attending AA meetings for more than a year.
In his Esquire interview, D’Agostino noted that Pitt now enjoys his mornings and suggested that drinking heavily the previous night could interfere with that routine.
Pitt is set to appear in “Heart of the Beast” and “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” a standalone sequel to his 2019 film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
