Brad Pitt gets brutally honest as stars share sobriety stories in 2025, 'pretty much on my knees'
The start of the new year always has people interested in the cultural trend of quitting alcohol for the entire month — aka Dry January.
Dry January, which was started in the United Kingdom by Alcohol Change UK in 2013, is a challenge some people like to try by not drinking alcohol for 31 days.
Reasons for quitting alcohol for a month range from saving money, improving sleep patterns to using it as a stepping stone to cutting back or quitting entirely.
Stars like Bradley Cooper, Miley Cyrus and Tom Holland have been open about their sobriety over the years, and have made new comments in 2025 on how quitting alcohol has positively affected their lives.
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During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in December, Cooper credited the "Smartless" podcast host, Will Arnett, as the main reason he was able to quit drinking in 2004.
"Will took the risk of having that hard conversation with me that put me on the path of deciding to change my life. It is truly Will Arnett, he is the reason. And it helped that it was the guy I thought I was emulating. It’s not like somebody else said it. Like, the king told me," Cooper told the outlet.
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Brad Pitt was a guest on Dax Shepard's "The Armchair Expert" podcast in June and discussed how attending Alcoholic's Anonymous meetings at the start of his sobriety journey really helped him.
"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. I thought it was a really special experience," Pitt said at the time.
Shepard noted that he was concerned Pitt would be uncomfortable discussing AA since that's how he met him. Pitt said he was "quite at ease" to come on the show and talk about his experience.
Pitt said when he first started attending meetings, he was shy, but eventually was able to become more vulnerable.
"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. And it just meant a lot to me," the actor said.
After a few sessions, the meetings became a time that Pitt would "look forward to." He told Shepard that he's "pretty good at taking responsibility" and "owning up to" things that have gone wrong.
According to People, Pitt became sober in 2016 — shortly after his split from Angelina Jolie.
Cyrus spoke to CBS News in October about how her decision to quit drinking has made her life better.
"I like showing up 100%, 100% of the time. The hardest part about balancing, you know, any sort of substance use or drinking when you want to do what I do is you’re going, ‘Okay, well, now I have to get sober for this thing, ’cause I wanna show up my best,'" she told the outlet at the time.
Cyrus continued, "Now, I get to trim out so much of the preparation of getting yourself into the right place mentally and physically. I’m just always ready."
The former Disney star said that she is very happy with where she is at in her life.
"The authentic joy of doing what I want to do has always eclipsed the negatives for me. I feel really good. And I really like who I am, and I like what I’m doing with my life. And I think if I was outside of myself, I would want to be a part of what I’m doing in any way that I could be. ‘Cause I think what I’m doing is cool. So, that actually feels good. I like what I do. I like who I am," Cyrus said.
In May, Cyrus was a guest on The Zane Lowe Show and said that since becoming sober in 2020, she's been able to learn more about herself since becoming sober. "I've learned this about myself over the years. The sobriety is like; that's like my God. I need it, I live for it. I mean that it's changed my entire life," Cyrus said.
Holland spoke with Esquire in September and marked 3.5 years of being sober.
"It feels amazing. A little bit like a brand-new identity almost," he told the outlet at the time.
At the start of 2025, Holland spoke to Men's Health about his sobriety journey. "My problem was that I would have one drink and be fine, and then I would just go too far," he said.
The "Spider-Man: No Way Home" star told the outlet that he has struggled with wanting to indulge in alcohol since quitting, but his lawyer offered him "a really poignant piece of advice."
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"You’ll never wake up the morning after a night out and wish you had a drink," Holland said his lawyer told him.
Holland explained that he participated in Dry January in 2022, initially only planning to quit drinking for the month. During his break, he realized how much alcohol he was consuming.
"Every Friday after work was a write-off: Let’s get drunk and have a good time. I didn’t have bad experiences, but I would drink enough so that I would ruin my next day," Holland said.
Drew Barrymore spoke to US Weekly in March about how her decision to become sober in 2019 has positively impacted her life over the past six years.
"I think I was focused on the substances, but what finally hit me in my early forties was that I needed to focus on the behavior. That was the big revelation to me. My behavior being: I wanted to escape my pain, numb my pain, feel the highs of the invincibility of what alcohol did for me, when I didn't realize the chemical warfare that it was causing the next day and the next day," the talk show host said at the time.
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Barrymore told the outlet that she ultimately decided to quit drinking because it was affecting how she lived day-to-day.
At the start of 2025, Lucy Hale celebrated three years sober in an emotional Instagram post.
"damn. 3 years ago today, I began my journey in remembering who I am. Since then, I’ve experienced moments that can only be described as pure miracles and magic," the "Pretty Little Liars" star began her caption.
"I am deeply grateful every day—for the people who have been guiding lights, for a power greater than myself that loves me unconditionally, and for my own perseverance in not giving up. To all of you who have supported my journey, I have felt your love and it means everything to me," Hale continued.
She concluded by giving her followers motivation if they were "walking a similar path."
"If you are struggling or walking a similar path, keep going. Just keep going. You are not alone and the world needs you. ❤️," the actress concluded.