American actor Brad Pitt has shared candid details about his experience in recovery from alcohol addiction during an appearance on the “Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard” podcast.
Pitt revealed that he initially connected with host Dax Shepard, who is also in recovery, through an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting they both attended.
Recalling his early days in AA, Pitt described himself as being at a low point. “I was pretty much on my back, on my knees. I was open. “I was trying anything anyone threw at me,” he said, emphasising it was a “particularly difficult time” where he “needed rebooting” and to “wake the f**k up in some areas.”
Shepard echoed this sentiment, stating that “You don’t come into AA because everything’s working out fantastic,” to which Pitt agreed, confirming it’s “usually not the entry point.”
Shepard humorously added, “It’s not the winner’s club. Your hair has to be on fire before you go like, ‘Yeah, I’ll go hang with a bunch of dudes and talk about emotions.'”
Pitt had previously disclosed that he began his sobriety journey after his split from Angelina Jolie in 2016. In a 2019 interview with the New York Times, he stated, “I had taken things as far as I could take them, so I removed my drinking privileges.”
The actor, who is set to star as a race car driver in “F1: The Movie,” debuting on June 27, admitted to Shepard that he can be “a stubborn f*ck.”
However, he stressed his commitment to accountability: “But when I’ve stepped in, I’m pretty good at taking responsibility for it and owning up to it.”
He added that his focus now is “a quest to what can I do with this and how can I right this and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Be better, step up.”
Pitt also highlighted the value he found in the honesty of other men in his recovery group, stating, “It became a thing for me, something I looked forward to.”
