Rob Lowe is one of the most famous faces on US TV, having appearing in hit shows such as the West Wing, Parks and Recreation, and Brothers & Sisters. He has also starred in many films, including St Elmo’s Fire, Wayne’s World, Oxford Blues, About Last Night, and Killing Kennedy. He has also written two books. Rob Lowe has plenty of great achievements to celebrate in his life and, this week, he tweeted about one of his proudest – Celebrating 23 Years Sober Tonight. #ItWorksIfYouWorkIt. This hashtag is a saying used by members of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Addiction Problems of Rob Lowe
During the eighties, Rob Lowe was a member of a group of ‘bad boy’ actors known as the ‘brat pack’, and this included Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, and Robert Downey Junior. All of them were in their early twenties and were all known for their enthusiasm at partying hard. Charlie Sheen and Robert Downey Junior used alcohol and drugs so heavily that they fell heavily into addiction. Rob Lowe was following a similar path until he decided to get help.
Rob Lowe realised that his drinking was out of control, and it was close to destroying his life. Instead of continuing his decent into self-destruction, he decided to enter rehab instead. He got the help he needed and was able to end his alcohol addiction early in his career. Most of the success he has enjoyed has been since the eighties, so it is doubtful if he would have done anywhere near as well if he had continued drinking. There is even a high likelihood of him being dead by now.
Rob’s addiction problems did not completely end after he gave up alcohol back in the eighties. In 1988 he found himself in trouble due to a sex scandal – a tape of him having sex with two women (one of them aged just 16) caused outrage. Rob admitted that he had become addicted to sex and later claimed that this sex scandal was the best thing to happen to him because it forced him to change his ways.
Secret of Rob Lowe’s Success in Rehab
Why is it that Rob Lowe was able to break free of the downwards spiral of addiction, yet it was not so easy for many of his contemporaries? According to Rob, his success in rehab was due to him having the right mindset from the beginning. He did not get sober for other people or just to get himself out of trouble – he did it because he genuinely wanted a better life. He also developed a strong willingness to change and that made all the difference. In his own words, he explains the attitude that allowed him to succeed at rehab:
“…if they told me, ‘Hey, Lowe, you’ve got to go stand in the corner on your head,’ I would have done it.”
This willingness to do whatever it took is undoubtedly what made the difference for Rob when it came to changing his life. Unfortunately, many people enter rehab with a lot of ambivalence, or they are there for the wrong reasons. Instead of being willing to do whatever is asked of them, they end up resisting rehab, meaning they are unable to get the most out of the experience. The fact that Rob was so determined to change his life meant that he had the right attitude. His mind was not focused excuses on why he couldn’t do things or why something wouldn’t work, so he was able to get the help he needed to succeed.
Rob Lowe the Success Story
Rob Lowe has achieved some amazing things in his life and has done most of this without the need to abuse alcohol or drugs. He is a great example of how individuals can get sober and enjoy a wonderful life afterwards. His Twitter hashtag sends a great message to those wanting to break free of addiction: ‘it works if you work it’.
