Brad Pitt chain smokes in LA months before kicking the habit and quitting alcohol

He recently revealed he has quit alcohol and tobacco following his messy split from Angelina Jolie, but chain-smoking Brad Pitt was every inch the handsome hunk as he puffed on his final cigarettes in Los Angeles. 

The Hollywood star, 58, spoke to GQ in the latest edition of the magazine, announcing he has embraced a life of abstinence that began shortly after his divorce was initiated in 2016.

The actor spent 18-months attending regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, where he adopted the group’s core principles of abstinence from all mind-altering substances.

‘I had a really cool men’s group here that was really private and selective, so it was safe,’ he explained. 

Exclusive photos of Brad Pitt chain-smoking at the height of the pandemic show he wasn’t kidding when he said he struggled with moderation when it comes to tobacco

Pitt – once named People magazine’s sexiest man alive – was snapped indulging in a couple cigarettes while volunteering in South Central Los Angeles in November 2020

The 58-year-old has since kicked the bad habit, but was every inch the rugged hunk as he puffed away on his cigarettes 

Opening up: Pitt has given a bleak assessment of the human condition as he moves on from the collapse of his five year marriage to actress Angelina Jolie

A lifelong smoker, Pitt also made the decision to cut cigarettes out of his life, opting instead to substitute tobacco with nicotine flavored gum. 

‘I don’t have that ability to do just one or two a day,’ he said of his past smoking habit.  

‘It’s not in my makeup. I’m all in. And I’m going to drive into the ground. I’ve lost my privileges.’

Exclusive photos of the Fight Club star chain-smoking at the height of the pandemic show he wasn’t kidding when he said he struggled with moderation when it came to tobacco.

Pitt – once named People magazine’s sexiest man alive – was snapped indulging in a couple cigarettes while volunteering in South Central Los Angeles in November 2020. 

He was dressed down in ripped jeans, white shoes and a red and black flannel shirt, took multiple smoke breaks and didn’t shirk from lifting heavy boxes of food supplies from delivery trucks. 

He wore a blue face mask to protect himself from Covid-19. 

At the time, a witness told DailyMail.com how the Oscar winner had lit one cigarette after the other as he handed out boxes of groceries to low-income families in the Los Angeles Housing Projects. 

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Pitt recently revealed he made the decision to give up cigarettes while completing an alcohol recovery program during the pandemic  

The actor was snapped taking multiple smoke breaks while helping out low-income families in South Central LA 

He was dressed down in ripped jeans, white shoes and a red and black flannel shirt

An eyewitness said: ‘Brad really did seem like a hero, the man did not stop all day. Just seeing him driving a big truck in South Central LA during Covid times was in itself amazing’

Many of those who received groceries didn’t realize they were in the presence of one of the world’s most famous actors, because of his casual style and the mask he was wearing to protect himself from COVID-19

‘Brad was practically devouring the smokes, he must have gotten through half a pack at least in only a few hours. He was even smoking in between bites of his lunch,’ the witness said. 

In between smokes, the onlooker added, Pitt was ‘completely committed’ to the cause, and was ‘involved as much as or probably more than anyone else there.’ 

Pitt recently spoke about moving on from the collapse of the five-year marriage to Angelina Jolie 

‘He was there between three and four hours and he would only stop every hour or so to have a quick three-minute break to smoke a cigarette and then he was back at it.’

During his volunteer day he was also seen enjoying a modest fast food lunch, which he ate from a regular to-go container with a plastic knife and fork. 

At the time, Pitt had just recently ended his relationship with ex-girlfriend Nicole Poturalski, 27, after a few months of dating, and had been locked in a bitter custody battle with ex-wife Angelina Jolie over their six children. 

In his interview with GQ, Pitt spoke about moving on from the collapse of the five-year marriage and his newfound positivity tempered by the belief that pain and turmoil are inevitable parts of growth. 

‘I think all our hearts are broken,’ he said. ‘I always felt very alone in my life, alone growing up as a kid, alone even out here, and it’s really not till recently that I have had a greater embrace of my friends and family. 

Brad and Angelina split in 2016, with Jolie requesting primary custody of their six children (pictured)

‘What’s that line? It was either Rilke or Einstein, believe it or not, but it was something about when you can walk with the paradox, when you carry real pain and real joy simultaneously, this is maturity, this is growth.’ 

Despite the overriding sense of isolation, Pitt admits he’s found community and friendship through his decision to give up alcohol in 2016.

The actor’s self-awareness regarding his own characteristic flaws are a far cry from the hazy past, when he freely admitted to smoking marijuana on a daily basis, including throughout his first marriage to Jennifer Aniston. 

‘I spent most of the ’90s hiding out and smoking pot,’ he told New York Times recently. ‘I was too uncomfortable with all the attention.’