EXCLUSIVE: Brad Pitt's Girlfriend 'Key to Keeping His Drinking Under Control'

Aaron Tinney Thu, August 13, 2026 at 5:42 PM UTC

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Brad Pitt's girlfriend may be the key in keeping the actor on the straight and narrow.MEGA

Brad Pitt is said to be relying on his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, to help ensure his return to drinking does not spiral out of control after seven years of sobriety, sources close to the Hollywood couple have exclusively told RadarOnline.com.

The Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood actor, 62, revealed this week that he is drinking alcohol again, years after giving it up following the collapse of his marriage to Angelina Jolie, 51.

Ines de Ramon's Key Role In Brad Pitt's Drinking

Pitt credits Ines de Ramon with helping keep his drinking controlled, sources claimed.MEGA

Pitt insists he now drinks moderately, while sources told de Ramon, 33 – whom he started dating in late 2022 – is the "key" to helping him maintain limits during an intensely difficult period in his personal life.

A source close to Pitt claimed to Radar: "Ines has become an incredibly important influence when it comes to Brad making sure his relationship with alcohol remains controlled. She leads a very clean, disciplined lifestyle herself and is fully aware of the difficulties he has experienced with drinking in the past, so she has absolutely no desire to watch him fall back into those old patterns.

"Brad believes he's reached a point where he can occasionally have a drink without allowing it to dominate his life again, but he also understands why the people around him might be cautious given everything that's happened before.

"He and Ines have effectively made an agreement that she'll speak up if she ever thinks he's drinking too much or notices his behavior beginning to change. Brad trusts her judgment and knows she isn't somebody who will simply stand by and say nothing because she doesn't want to upset him."

The insider added, "For him, having Ines there provides an additional safeguard. He feels strongly that moderation is possible for him now, but having somebody he loves and trusts keeping an eye on things gives him another level of accountability and helps reinforce the boundaries he's set for himself."

Brad Pitt Talks Sobriety

Pitt stated he drinks wine in moderation after learning from past mistakes.MEGA

Pitt told Esquire: "I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon."

The actor said he now drinks "in a more restrained manner," adding he had "got overconfident a couple times, went, 'Yep, nope, not good for me.' Not in big quantities."

Pitt said he can have "a few" glasses of wine but jokingly admitted: "I have to be professional about it."

His return to alcohol was described by one source as a "gradual process."

They claimed: "Brad's decision to start drinking again wasn't something that happened suddenly or overnight. It was a very gradual process that developed over the past few years, with Brad carefully working out where his boundaries were and what he personally felt comfortable with.

"He didn't simply decide one day that seven years of sobriety was over and immediately go back to drinking as he had before. He approached it cautiously and spent a lot of time figuring out whether there was a level of alcohol consumption he believed he could manage responsibly."

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The source noted, "For quite a while it was something that remained within a relatively small circle. But as time went on, more of Brad's friends naturally became aware that he was occasionally drinking again, particularly at dinners and social gatherings.

"People close to him know his history, so inevitably there have been conversations and some concern. Brad's position, though, is that this is completely different from the relationship he once had with alcohol and that he now understands his limits much better."

Brad Pitt Attended Alcoholics Anonymous

Friends from recovery circles have expressed concern over his decision to drink.MEGA

Pitt previously stopped drinking following the September 2016 private jet incident, which preceded Jolie filing for divorce. FBI documents subsequently detailed allegations concerning Pitt's behavior toward Jolie and their children during the flight.

An FBI investigation resulted in no charges, while child services did not find abuse.

Pitt later attended Alcoholics Anonymous and spoke publicly about the depths of his problems with alcohol.

Discussing that period on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, Pitt said: "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--- up in some areas."

Pitt has also credited Bradley Cooper with helping him achieve sobriety, telling him publicly in 2020: "Every day's been happier ever since. I love you, and I thank you."

Sources said some friends from Pitt's Alcoholics Anonymous circle have expressed concern about his decision to drink again.

Brad Pitt's Return to Drinking Linked to Family Drama?

Insiders denied Pitt's return to alcohol was linked to family estrangement.MEGA

The movie star has also endured continuing estrangement from his six children with Jolie – Maddox, 25, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 18 – although a source insisted his return to alcohol was unrelated to the family breakdown.

The insider claimed: "There's no question that being estranged from his children has been enormously painful for Brad. It's something that has weighed heavily on him, particularly as the distance between them has become increasingly public and, as we know, several of the children have chosen to stop using the Pitt name.

"But people shouldn't assume that emotional strain is what drove him back to alcohol. Brad's decision to start drinking again developed separately and wasn't some sudden reaction to what was happening within the family."

They continued, "The name changes have obviously been difficult for him to process, and the continuing separation from his children remains deeply upsetting. But those close to Brad are adamant that there isn't a direct line between those events and his decision to drink again.

"He had already been reconsidering his approach to alcohol and what he believed he could responsibly handle. This wasn't about drowning his sorrows or responding to one particularly painful development with his children."

Pitt and Jolie finalized their divorce in December 2024 but remain locked in a separate legal dispute concerning their former French estate and wine business, Château Miraval.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”