Aug 11, 2026 12:11pm IST
Brad Pitt Reveals He Relapsed After Seven Years of Sobriety, Opens Up About Suicidal Thoughts
Brad Pitt has opened up about a dark chapter in his life, detailing his journey of being sober and bouncing back to alcoholism. During an interview with Esquire, Pitt shared how he is no longer sober and admitted to having “a few” glasses of wine.
He shared, “I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon. In a more restrained manner. I got overconfident a couple of times. That’s not good for me. Not in big quantities.” When asked if he can have wine, Pitt revealed, “I can have a few. But I can’t have a lot. I have to be professional about it."
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The actor also shared being suicidal while dealing with issues regarding his ex-wife Angelina Jolie and their kids. In the same interview, Pitt said, “I’ve never been suicidal except for one little period. And in that one period, I just thought - I just couldn’t - just didn’t see a way out.” He also explained, “The pain was so oppressive that - I wasn’t going to act on this, but I could feel the cold steel of the bullet in my head, and it felt like relief.”
He also shared his take on understanding suicidal tendencies. He said, “And I thought, ‘Oh okay, now I understand’ - I understand suicide, in the sense that it’s just relief. It’s just looking for relief from the pain.’” He opened up about his “incredible survival instincts” saving him from taking a drastic step. He further added, “This s**t ain’t easy. And you’re talking to a guy who won the lottery."
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Pitt also elaborated on the reasons that triggered his suicidal tendencies. He said, “Family stuff… We could leave it at that.”
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