You’ve probably seen the headlines over the past week. Brad Pitt is drinking again, after seven years sober. And this time, he says he’s doing it “moderately”.
Cue a whole wave of reactions, with some people cheering him on… and others feeling worried, unsettled and even triggered by the whole thing.
I spent a few days going through everything he said about his sobriety in the past (he used to be pretty effusive about it) vs what he’s saying now…
The result is this video. I’ve got three questions for Brad Pitt (and an important one for you too).
Key points
None of us know what’s really going on for Brad Pitt
We only get glimpses into his life through interviews and headlines. That’s not the same as knowing the full story. Before we pick this apart, it’s worth remembering how little we actually know. Here’s what he says in Esquire magazine.
“I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon.” “[I am drinking] in a more restrained manner. I got overconfident a couple of times, went, Yep, nope, not good for me. Not in big quantities… I can have a few. But I can’t have a lot. I have to be professional about it.”
Question 1: How is moderation really going?
Based on the Esquire article alone, we can see this hasn’t been plain sailing. He admits to getting “overconfident” a few times already. This sounds like someone who has already had drinking episodes that were not moderate. Remember, we’re talking about an addictive, mind-altering drug here. It’s hard to exercise great control over these substances – and that’s not a character flaw or a criticism.
Question 2: How free and happy do you feel now, compared to before?
Brad Pitt is using words like “restrained” and “being professional” about his drinking. That sounds like someone who is putting a lot of effort and energy into managing this. We tend to have this perception that freedom and joy are found at the bottom of a bottle, but when I reflect on his words, I don’t hear much peace and freedom there.
When you cut down, rather than cut out, you keep the door open to alcohol. You make it very important in your world. The alcohol noise creeps up again: when are you going to drink? What will you have? When? Where? How much? The decision fatigue is real. None of that says freedom, ease or peace to me – whereas all that stuff has been abundant for me in sobriety. Life gets so easy once you stop giving this liquid drug superpowers.
Question 3: Why did you go back to drinking?
After years of saying sobriety made him happier, this is the big unanswered question. What changed? What did he think he was missing? I don’t know the answer, and I don’t think we ever will. I hope he talked this through with someone else first – it’s all too easy, when we’re on our own, to forget the pain we experienced through drinking. Personally, I’ve been sober for 13 years and I can’t see a reason to go back to drinking.
And now a question for you: Will Brad Pitt’s choices influence you?
You’ve got to do what’s right for you. At the end of the day, you are the expert in your life and your drinking. You’ve been there for all the ups and downs. We know very little about what’s really going on for Brad Pitt right now. But if we are looking at a tragedy here – and the slow unravelling of someone who’s gone back to something that’s caused them a lot of pain in the past – that is not someone you want to be following down that same path.
Ready to create an alcohol-free life you love? Click here to learn more about my Getting Unstuck course.
