The initial news of the separation between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, when that first happened in 2016, was an instant Among the breaking-news of celebrity breakups in Hollywood. The two had their years in the limelight, being not only successful in their film careers but also in their humanitarian activities as well as their big family. Out of the headlines, though, the post-Split period became one of the most difficult periods in the personal life of Pitt. The actor was also later very frank and open about the emotional turmoil arising out of the divorce, when he knew it was time to address his own old-time alcohol problem.
To the outside viewer, Pitt had always been a calm and collected person who dealt with fame comparatively easily. But the conclusion of his marriage compelled him to procrastinate and examine himself closely. He explained that it was the experience that led him to the turning point, where he sought help and then rebuilt his life inward. The first and one of the most crucial steps in the process was taking a walk into his first encounter with Alcoholics Anonymous.
It was not a decision that was made easily. According to his own confession, the period after the divorce was physically exhausting and self-contemplating. In interviews he was freely talking of how the situation had influenced his relationship with his children and how the situation compelled him to imagine behaviors which he had not thought about before. He started to acknowledge that real change meant honesty and accountability instead of attempting to get through the pain within a short period.
Pitt became a member of Alcoholics Anonymous soon following the filing of divorce by Jolie in 2016. In a subsequent episode of the Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard, which is hosted by actor and comedian Dax Shepard, he cited how desperate and vulnerable he was at that moment. In retrospect, Pitt explained that he was on my knees. The wording summed up the emotional condition that he was under, which most individuals with personal predicaments can identify. The layers of confidence and the image of a person are sometimes taken away in a crisis and only the bare truths that something is wrong remain.
The separation pushed him to a review of long-held individual practices especially his alcoholism. Instead of accepting the divorce as a personal thing that they could silently carry, Pitt decided to face the underlying trends to the divorce. The fact that he was ready to admit his mistakes in front of others shocked a lot of fans that had gotten accustomed to watching well-calculated celebrity interviews. His sincerity, however, provided a more human perspective into a life that was otherwise far away into the mundane struggles.
In the podcast interview, Pitt and Shepard connected because of their experiences with Alcoholics Anonymous. Both men talked about the special atmosphere of such meetings where people are invited to share their errors, weaknesses, and recovery wish. In the case of Pitt, who was brought up in Missouri in a culture that did not always promote the expression of emotions, the experience was something new. But soon it was something significant.
That is a wonderful thing, he said in a 2019 interview with The New York Times when considering the support he received in the meetings. He explained the same sentiment when he was talking to Shepard, that it was when I was first getting sober. I simply found it amazing: men giving their lives, their flaws, their mistakes, their desires, their pains, and much humor about it. I had found it an exceptionally good experience.
He was impressed by the feeling of openness experienced in the group. Alcoholics Anonymous meetings usually succeed since it eliminates the barriers that people use in their normal lives. The participants are straightforward regarding their failure, which may seem hard to come by when there is fame or professional pressure at work. To Pitt, entering a room where human beings were honest with each other turned out to be a surprisingly strong feeling.
Shepard would later admit that he had questioned himself how Pitt would be able to cope within the surroundings, particularly due to the publicity that his presence would attract to the group. However, the most remarkable fact was the readiness of Pitt to be open. You were such a f–king honest, told him Shepard. I said, he must have a stubbornness like mine that is like, Yeah, all this is going on, but I refuse that it not will make me a person.
Pitt replied by stating that he was opening up as he had reached a stage where he could no longer continue with the fake appearance that everything was alright. I was more or less on my knees and I was quite open. I was attempting everything and anything. Anything anyone threw at me. It was a difficult time. I needed rebooting. I had to wake the f— up here and there. And it just meant a lot to me.”
His words were a general truth of recovery and personal development. They tend to ask themselves issues in their lives that they had neglected at some point when they are faced with moments of crisis. In the case of Pitt, it was not about the image of the person but rather about restoring his identity. The meetings that he found interesting became something he appreciated with time. He would no longer fear them but look forward to discussing and the feeling of mutual understanding.
The same attitude also influenced how he conducted therapy at the time. Pitt decided to be straightforward regarding his behavior as opposed to being silent on the matter. He remembered plunging into the therapy sessions with a degree of sincerity that even his therapists would have been astounded. When I sprung into therapy at the time, I was simply like, And I did this and I did that and da da da da, and I must say I was so much in the desire to face all that was already accumulating.
This was met by Shepard with a little humor that reflected the reality of recovery. “Yeah. You do not enter AA because all things are going fabulously well.
Pitt laughed at the comment and retorted, no. That is not normally the point of entry.
