After seven years of sobriety, Brad Pitt says he has resumed drinking alcohol in moderation, a decision that has drawn concern from some addiction experts. In an Esquire interview published on Aug. 10, the actor discussed his return to drinking.

“I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon,” Pitt said. He explained that he now drinks “in a more restrained manner” and does not consume “big quantities” of alcohol.

However, Pitt acknowledged that his attempt at moderation has not always gone as planned. “I got overconfident a couple times, went, ‘Yep, nope, not good for me,’” he said.

“I have to be professional about it,” Pitt added. His comments offered a new perspective on a period of sobriety he had previously discussed publicly.

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During a 2019 interview with The New York Times, Pitt disclosed that he had spent 18 months in Alcoholics Anonymous. “I had taken things as far as I could take it, so I removed my drinking privileges,” he said at the time.

Jessica Steinman, a Los Angeles addiction specialist and chief clinical officer for No Matter What Recovery, generally advises against returning to alcohol following a problematic relationship with it. She warned that “testing the waters” can potentially be “dangerous.”

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines alcohol use disorder as an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational or health consequences. The condition can range from mild to severe.

Steinman emphasized that she was not diagnosing Pitt with alcohol use disorder. She said some people take a lengthy break from substances and experience a long period of sobriety and recovery before choosing to bring those substances back into their lives.

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“There are people who struggle with substances and take a very large break, have a long period of sobriety and recovery, and they may choose to integrate it back into their lives,” Steinman told Fox News Digital. “As an addiction professional, as someone who's been in this field for a very long time, I don’t see a whole lot of success with that.”

Although some people successfully return to substances after deciding they needed to stop, Steinman considers those cases “anomalies and exceptions to the rule.” She said people may believe their time in recovery has given them the skills and tools to manage substance use.

Steinman said addiction can alter the brain’s reward system, making it highly responsive to the dopamine release associated with drinking or substance use. She compared that response to a bear in hibernation that can awaken and quickly make life unmanageable.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism also notes that alcohol addiction involves changes across several brain systems. Those systems are connected to rewards, stress, decision making and learned responses to cues related to alcohol.

According to the agency, some of those changes can continue even after a person stops drinking. Steinman said substance use issues and mental health issues can be lifelong concerns that must be managed like other chronic illnesses.

At the same time, the agency acknowledges that every recovery trajectory is unique. It also notes that while alcohol addiction can leave some people vulnerable to relapse, others can return to occasional drinking without resuming problematic use.

Steinman said certain warning signs can point to the return of problematic patterns after a person resumes drinking. Those signs can include escalating consumption, erratic behavior, drinking alone, secretly drinking and drinking during the day.

Moderation can also have different meanings for different people, Steinman noted. “Is it one drink a day? Is it a drink at dinner only?”

“I've had people try out moderation by not having liquor at all and just sticking to beer and wine,” Steinman said. “So it's all these different trials that they're doing when someone starts seeing an escalation.”

Steinman advised anyone noticing problematic behavior involving alcohol or drug consumption to speak with an addiction counselor. The agency also says specific treatment goals should be decided between the patient and a doctor or addiction specialist.