As he gears up for his return to the big screen this fall, Brad Pitt is acknowledging a significant change to his lifestyle. Speaking to Esquire in an interview published Monday, Pitt shared that he recently “got back off the wagon” after seven years of sobriety.“No, I got—I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon,” the “F1” star said, before quickly clarifying: “In a more restrained manner. I got overconfident a couple times, went, yep, nope, not good for me. Not in big quantities.” In the article, journalist Ryan D’Agostino noted that the subject of Pitt’s sobriety arose after the actor offered him a glass of wine at the start of their chat. “Yeah. Well ... I can have a few,” Pitt explained. “But I can’t have a lot. I have to be professional about it.”Prior to his Esquire interview, Pitt had spoken candidly about his sobriety journey. Speaking to GQ in 2017 ― about a year after his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, filed for divorce ― he admitted he’d been “boozing too much,” but had given up drinking alcohol for “half a year, which is bittersweet.” He shared similar sentiments in a 2019 New York Times profile, noting he had attended Alcoholics Anonymous for about a year and a half after he and Jolie split: “It was actually really freeing just to expose the ugly sides of yourself. There’s great value in that.”In an interview with Esquire, Brad Pitt acknowledged he “got back off the wagon” after being sober for about seven years. via Associated PressWhile accepting the award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood” at the National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala in 2020, he credited fellow actor Bradley Cooper for inspiring him to get sober.“He’s a sweetheart,” he said of Cooper. “I got sober because of this guy, and every day has been happier ever since.”At 62, Pitt remains busier than ever, with two new films, “Heart of the Beast” and “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” set for release this fall. He also recently completed work on “The Riders,” a thriller set to come next year. Pitt has been dating jewelry designer Ines de Ramon since 2022. Still, his private life remains the subject of heavy media speculation, much of it stemming from his split with Jolie. By all accounts, the couple’s divorce was one of the most contentious and legally disputed in Hollywood’s recent history, particularly after Jolie accused Pitt of physically and verbally abusing her and their six children. Though Pitt reached a divorce settlement with Jolie in 2024, his relationship with his now-adult children remains strained, with at least four of his kids taking steps to legally drop their father’s surname. In his chat with Esquire, Pitt admitted that while he’s “never been suicidal,” he has come to “understand suicide, in the sense that it’s just relief” while recalling “one little period” in his life when he experienced “oppressive” pain. When D’Agostino pressed Pitt for clarification, the actor stated only that he was alluding to “family stuff,” but stopped short of further detail. Need help with substance use disorder or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline.