Rob Lowe gave up alcohol and drugs in 1990 and has been open about his road to sobriety for the past 30 years, after he first began drinking at a very young age.
In a new interview on NBC‘s Today, the 56-year-old actor reflected on his past battle with addiction as a teen idol and member of the Brat Pack in the 1980s.
‘The thing that really blows my mind is, I look back at that 18-year-old in The Outsiders, and realize my kids are way way way way older than that and I would be worried putting them, now, in that position,’ reflected the star.
30 years sober: Rob Lowe reflected on his past battle with addiction as a teen idol and member of the Brat Pack in the 1980s
Previously, in his book, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, Lowe revealed actors on the 1983 coming-of-age drama ‘were always provided with beers’ despite being under 21, according to NPR.
‘Nobody’s going to do a pity party or have a telethon for all the suffering 18-year-old movie stars,’ he noted. ‘I get it. Like everyone goes through their time in the barrel.’
Alluding to his own string of events that led him to rock bottom and rehab, including a sex tape with an underage girl in 1988, he said ‘every ten years’ another rising star endures similar struggles, like ‘Justin Bieber, or whoever it is now.’
‘The thing that really blows my mind is, I look back at that 18-year-old in The Outsiders, and realize my kids are way way way way older than that and I would be worried putting them, now, in that position,’ reflected the star (seen in the 1983 coming-of-age drama)
‘Nobody’s going to do a pity party or have a telethon for all the suffering 18-year-old movie stars,’ he said. ‘I get it. Like everyone goes through their time in the barrel’
‘You either come out on the other side of it way, way, way better or way, way, way worse,’ he reflected, before crediting ‘recovery, sobriety and therapy’ for saving his life.
When asked about how he has remained sober for 30 years, he said ‘you have to want to do it.’
He explained: ‘Unfortunately no one can get healthy for their job, or for their relationship, or for their court case, or because of mom or dad, or sister and brother, they can only do it when they want to do it.’
‘You either come out on the other side of it way, way, way better or way, way, way worse,’ he reflected, before crediting recovery, sobriety and therapy’ for saving his life
Lowe shares his two sons John, 26, and Matthew, 28, with wife Sheryl Berkoff, who he married in 1991.
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The couple’s youngest child made his sobriety journey public in April, by uploading an image from his Twelve Steps program showing that he has been sober for two years.
The post comes as Rob, 56, marked his own significant milestone last year, marking 30 years of sobriety.
Honest: When asked about how he has stayed sober for 30 years, he said ‘you have to want to do it’
Underneath his son’s post, the Parks And Recreation star commented, ‘I have never been more proud. Your hard work is an inspiration. Keep Coming Back.’
Milestone: John Owen Lowe, son to Rob Lowe, took to Instagram last to reveal he has been sober for two years
For added effect in his post, son John also included a SnapChat image alongside his AA statistics, showing him drunkenly chugging from a bottle of wine in his party days to emphasize just how far he’s come.
Over the shot of John drinking, a caption reads, ‘Life is short, blow it’.
But alongside the split image, the Stanford University graduate began his statement with the heading, ‘Then -> Now.’
Proud dad: Rob’s encouraging comment to his son
Opening up: ‘I haven’t been vocal about my sobriety on here just because I felt it was something I wanted to keep personal, but I had a change of heart today,’ the star’s son wrote
‘I haven’t been vocal about my sobriety on here just because I felt it was something I wanted to keep personal, but I had a change of heart today,’ he continued.
‘Two years in and I am more grateful than ever to have a community of support and friends who continue to build me up and hold me accountable.
‘Making the decision to change your life is difficult at any age, but as a young person I hope that I can be a small example that it is possible and that things really do get SO MUCH BETTER,’ John went on.
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