Brad Pitt Opens Up About Battle With Alcoholism and Recovery: 'I Needed to Wake the F--k Up'

The Oscar-winning actor stopped by Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast Monday, where the pair chatted for more than two hours on their struggles with alcoholism and how joining Alcoholics Anonymous helped turn things around -- this after the pair met at a meeting.

Speaking about attending his first AA meeting, Pitt admitted he was pretty "shy" a first.

"I'm generally a bit shy in any situation at first," Pitt admitted. "But I don't know, I just remember getting my arms around it pretty quickly and it became a thing for me. It was really like something I'd look forward to."

After a friend "assured" him that the group was a "safe place" Pitt said he felt more comfortable opening up. And at that point in his life, he was ready to do just that.

"I am a stubborn f--k, but when I've stepped in s--t, I'm pretty good at taking responsibility for it and owning up to it, and now it's a quest to -- what I do with this and how do I right this and make sure this doesn't happen again. So I was really opening to that," the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star shared.

He continued, "I was pretty much on my knees, and I was really open. I was trying anything and everyone. Anything anyone threw at me. It was a difficult time. I needed rebooting. I needed to wake the f--k up in some areas. And it just meant a lot to me."

The experience, overall, was incredible for Pitt, but not just through what he learned about himself, but what he saw the other men in AA share about their own struggles and experience.

"I just thought it was just incredible men sharing their experiences, their foibles, their missteps, their wants, their aches, and a lot of humor with it," Pitt gushed. "I thought it was a really special experience."

Pitt previously opened up about getting sober following his 2016 split from Angelina Jolie.

In a 2019 interview with the New York Times, the F1 star revealed that the divorce was the wake-up call he needed.

"I had taken things as far as I could take it, so I removed my drinking privileges," he told the outlet at the time. "You had all these men sitting around being open and honest in a way I have never heard. It was this safe space where there was little judgment, and therefore little judgment of yourself."

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, get help. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress.