Brad Pitt is just one of many celebrities who have publicly spoken about drinking alcohol and sobriety.
In an interview with Esquire, the 62-year-old actor acknowledged that he has started drinking again, but said he now approaches it differently and in a more restrained manner. Pitt also recognized the importance of being mindful about his drinking at his age. The actor credited fellow Hollywood star Bradley Cooper with helping him stop drinking during a difficult period in his life following his separation from ex-wife Angelina Jolie. Pitt reportedly attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for more than a year as part of his journey toward sobriety. The Fight Club actor revealed at the time that he was six months sober and told the outlet that he stopped everything except boozing when he started his family. Brad Pitt’s admission that he’s consuming alcohol again after seven years sober and attending Alcoholics Anonymous for 18 months has set off some strong reactions within the recovery community.
Alcoholics Anonymous focuses on abstinence-based recovery from alcoholism and does not comment publicly about members. A representative from the A.A. General Service Office said only that “members of Alcoholics Anonymous have only one purpose: to stay sober ourselves and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.”
It was his history with A.A. that touched a nerve among people who have fought to stay sober, or have friends or relatives who have struggled with recovery. People who figuratively followed Mr. Pitt into a room of folding chairs learned of his exit from it. Experts and researchers said the reactions split along lines that had less to do with Mr. Pitt than with how the people reacting had gotten sober themselves. Mr. Pitt, during his interview, offered himself as no one’s model for sobriety. He described where he was and claimed nothing about where he will be later.