For ms.now

After seven years of much-publicized sobriety, Brad Pitt earlier this month told Esquire that he is “back off the wagon.” Given that Pitt has spent the last few years publicly volunteering information about his alcohol use and subsequent sobriety, his casual revelation that he now drinks “in a more restrained manner” raised more than a few eyebrows and spurred a wave of headlines. 

Initially, I was wary of commenting on the news. Brad Pitt’s sobriety is none of my business. But I’m also a sober journalist who writes a newsletter about addiction recovery; whether or not a person with a history of alcohol addiction can moderate their alcohol use after a period of sobriety is among the most frequent questions I receive.

Given that Pitt has repeatedly spoken publicly about his struggles with alcohol and subsequent sobriety, discussing the latest development feels like fair game.

The story also raises a second issue worth exploring: the redemptive recovery narrative as public image rehabilitation.  

The immediate question, and the genesis of so many headlines following Pitt’s “off the wagon” admission, is whether a former “problem drinker” can drink moderately following a period of sobriety. For decades, the medical establishment would confidently declare that the answer is no. (continued)