A source close to Brad Pitt is shedding new light on the actor’s decision to resume drinking alcohol after seven years of sobriety, saying the Oscar winner believes he can now drink in moderation while remaining keenly aware of his limits.
“This is a very personal decision that’s unique to Brad and his own circumstances,” the source told Page Six, adding that Pitt has had “a lot of time to reflect” on his relationship with alcohol.
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Brad Pitt’s return to alcohol was a ‘very personal decision,’ source says
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“Over time, his life changed and he reached a point where he felt comfortable making a different choice,” the source said. “For him, that means moderation and being very conscious of his limits.”
The insider added: “He knows what those limits are and understands that drinking in moderation requires a level of discipline and self-awareness.”
“I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon,” Pitt said, explaining that he now drinks in a “more restrained manner.”
The actor said he had occasionally become overconfident about what he could handle, only to realize that heavier drinking was not good for him.
“I got overconfident a couple times, went, ‘Yep, nope, not good for me,’” he said, adding that he does not drink “in big quantities.”
Pitt said he “can have a few” drinks but “can’t have a lot.”
“I have to be professional about it,” he said.
According to the source who spoke to Page Six, the decision to resume drinking does not negate the years Pitt spent sober or what he took from that period.
“It doesn’t take away from the years he spent sober or what he learned during that time,” the source said. “This is simply the decision he feels is right for him at this point in his life, and he’s committed to being responsible about it.”
A representative for Pitt did not respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
'He knows what those limits are and understands that drinking in moderation requires a level of discipline and self-awareness'
(Photo: Annalisa Ranzoni/Getty Images)
The revelation about alcohol was part of an unusually candid interview in which Pitt also discussed one of the most painful periods of his life, saying emotional distress connected to “family stuff” once left him unable to see a way forward.
“I was never suicidal in any way. It just was not my makeup,” Pitt said, describing himself as a lifelong optimist.
But he recalled a brief period when that outlook collapsed.
“I just didn’t see a way out,” he said, explaining that the experience gave him a new understanding of how severe emotional pain can lead someone to view death as an escape.
Pitt stressed that he did not intend to act on the thoughts and said his survival instinct quickly took over. Asked whether the crisis involved his children, he replied: “Family stuff. We could leave it at that.”
Pitt shares six children with ex-wife Angelina Jolie: Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh, Pax, Knox and Vivienne. The former couple separated in 2016 after more than a decade together and two years of marriage, and their divorce was finalized in 2024 following an eight-year legal battle.
Relations within the family have remained strained. Four of the children have moved to stop using the Pitt surname, with Shiloh’s legal name change approved in August 2024. Pitt has generally avoided speaking publicly about his relationships with his children.
The actor also discussed the death of his mother, Jane Pitt, who died a year ago at 84.
“If you survive the grief, it leaves a gaping hole, but also a deep beauty,” Pitt said. “It’s a painful beauty, but it’s still beauty.”
Pitt has previously spoken about attending Alcoholics Anonymous after the collapse of his marriage to Jolie and credited sobriety with helping him rebuild his life.
In a 2025 appearance on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, he recalled attending his first AA meeting during what he described as a particularly difficult time.
He also publicly thanked fellow actor Bradley Cooper in 2020 for helping him become sober, saying at the National Board of Review gala that Cooper’s support had contributed to making his life happier.
Now, Pitt appears to view his relationship with alcohol differently. His inner circle insists the change is not a rejection of sobriety but a choice he has made after years of reflection, with strict limits he believes he understands.