The startling confession came as Pitt reflected on his darkest moments, the lasting scars of grief and the complicated reality of struggling despite having “won the lottery” in life.<\/p>\n
“I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon,” Pitt told Esquire<\/a> for the September cover story.<\/p>\n COUNTRY SINGER RUSTON KELLY COMMITS TO SOBRIETY AFTER RELAPSING ON DRUGS FOLLOWING FREAK GOLF CART CRASH<\/a><\/p>\n Brad Pitt revealed he started drinking again after seven years of sobriety in a candid new interview. (Samir Hussein\/WireImage))<\/p>\n The actor said he approached drinking differently<\/a> after giving up his sobriety, describing his consumption as more limited than before. “In a more restrained manner,” he clarified. “I got overconfident a couple times, went, \u2018Yep, nope, not good for me. Not in big quantities.\u2019”<\/p>\n Pitt\u2019s candid admission came as he reflected on the harder chapters of his life and acknowledged that fame and success had not insulated him from struggle. The “F1” star has been dealing with “family stuff<\/a>” since 2016, when he began the divorce process from his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie.<\/p>\n Pitt\u2019s reflections took a darker turn as he recalled a period when the pain became nearly unbearable.<\/p>\n “I was never suicidal in any way. It just was not my makeup,” he told the outlet. “In fact, if I have any afflictions, it\u2019s probably being a congenital optimist. Which has helped many times, and it\u2019s also gotten me \u2013 I\u2019ve walked foolishly head-on into a Mack truck because of my optimism. Or, as my forever-funny friend David Fincher will say, ‘Yeah, you see the glass as half full, but it\u2019s half full of urine.’ Anyway, I\u2019ve never been suicidal except for one little period.”<\/p>\n Brad Pitt reflected on sobriety, grief and the difficult years dealing with “family stuff.” (CHANTAL ANDERSON\/Esquire)<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n “And in that one little period, I just thought \u2013 I just couldn\u2019t \u2013 just didn\u2019t see a way out,” Pitt continued. “The pain was so oppressive that \u2013 I wasn\u2019t going to act on this, but I could feel \u2013 I could feel the cold steel of the bullet in my head, and it felt like relief. And I thought,\u00a0Oh, okay, now I understand \u2013 I understand suicide, in the sense that it\u2019s just relief. It\u2019s just looking for relief from the pain. But I also think we have incredible survival instincts. And for me, that immediately kicked in, but it was just… “<\/p>\n The Oscar winner tempered his candid admission by acknowledging the extraordinary hand he had been dealt in life.<\/p>\n Brad Pitt said fame and success did not shield him from personal struggles. (CHANTAL ANDERSON\/Esquire)<\/p>\n “Yeah. Like, listen: This s–t ain\u2019t easy,” he said. “And you\u2019re talking to a guy who won the lottery.”<\/p>\n Pitt also reflected on the lasting impact of grief, describing the pain it left behind alongside an unexpected sense of beauty.<\/p>\n “Grief, if you survive it, leaves a gaping hole, but it also leaves profound beauty,” he said. “It\u2019s an aching beauty, but it\u2019s beauty.”<\/p>\n LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n Brad Pitt poses for the cover of Esquire magazine. (CHANTAL ANDERSON\/Esquire)<\/p>\n Pitt first gained major attention with his memorable supporting turn in 1991\u2019s “Thelma & Louise,” before becoming a leading man in films<\/a> including “A River Runs Through It,” “Legends of the Fall” and “Se7en.”<\/p>\n![\"Brad](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/brad-pitt-f1.jpeg\")
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