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Rob Lowe on how his threesome sex tape set him on path to sobriety and the 'final wake-up call' that sent him to rehab
Rob Lowe opened up about his decision to become sober 34 years ago.
In his People cover story, the actor recalled that it was an 'incremental decision' for him after he did a lot of self-reflecting over time.
The Unstable star, 60, recounted the baby steps leading up to the 'final wake-up call' that convinced him to go to rehab in 1990.
'Getting sober was an incremental decision,' he told the outlet in the interview published on Wednesday. 'It's baby steps until you're ready.'
The Youngblood alum — who said he bonded with his youngest son John Owen Lowe over their sobriety — emphasized: 'You can't do it until you're really ready.'
Rob Lowe opened up about his decision to become sober 34 years ago; seen in July
Before taking his first step into treatment and recovery in May of 1990, he listed multiple catalysts.
One particular 'baby step' was watching Warren Beatty, who he called one of his 'heroes,' in Shampoo.
'It's a great movie, but at the end, he's a bon vivant, charming playboy left with nothing,' Lowe explained about the movie icon's role in the 1975 romantic comedy.
'It affected me tremendously and [was] the first glimmer of your conscience, your destiny [and] God going, "Psst, pay attention to this."'
He also credited his infamous sex scandal in 1988 for changing the trajectory of his life.
He said he was shaken when a home sex tape of him having sex with two people was leaked.
The Outsiders alum said that the subsequent aftermath 'definitely changed my life at the time.'
'In hindsight, I realized it was another step that led me to recovery and reevaluating my life,' he continued.
The actor recalled that it was an 'incremental decision' for him after he did a lot of self-reflecting over time; seen in February 1990
The Unstable star, 60, recounted the baby steps leading up to the 'final wake-up call' that convinced him to go to rehab in 1990; seen last year
'But the thing that really changed me was not being able to show up for my family and myself,' he added.
He said the lowest point came two years later when he did not pick up his mother's call when his grandfather had a heart attack.
'I remember like it was yesterday: My mom telling me [on the answering machine] to "pick up, pick up" because my grandpa had had a heart attack,' he recalled.
'I couldn't deal with it in the state I was in, and I needed to go to sleep to wake up so I could deal with it,' Lowe continued before adding that he reached for specifically tequila afterwards.
'Who doesn't keep a bottle of Cuervo Gold by their bedside table? That was the final wake-up call,' he said. 'I've been sober ever since.'
Lowe also recalled that when he got to rehab, he felt 'so ready' to transform his life of substance abuse to a healthier one.
'It was relieving and it was scary,' he admitted before opening up about his time in rehab and his sobriety journey.
'I learned the tools to change your life if you have the self-honesty to do it,' he said. 'I felt, "Oh, okay, I'm not alone. I'm not crazy."
'I didn't have any doubts,' he continued, noting that he was determined to get and stay sober for good. 'I wasn't like, well, maybe I'll be sober for a little bit.
'I always tell people: "You can't get sober — I don't care if it's fentanyl, booze, drugs, coke, pot, gambling, overeating, sex addiction, whatever — you cannot stop for your job, your wife, your family, your parole officer, because you screwed something up."
'You only are going to stop when you're ready. Period.'