Rob Lowe is celebrating 31 years of sobriety

He captioned the image: “Today I have 31 years drug and alcohol free. I want to give thanks to everyone walking this path with me, and welcome anyone thinking about joining us; the free and the happy. And a big hug to my family for putting up with me!! Xoxo (sic)”

Meanwhile, Rob – who endured a period of substance abuse when he first entered Hollywood – recently said his moment of clarity came when his mother called him to ask for his “help” after his grandfather was taken to hospital.

He said: “I was ready when one day back in the days of answering machines my mother called me and I could hear her voice on the answering machine. I didn’t want to pick up because I was really, really hungover and I didn’t want her to know. She was telling me that my grandfather, who I loved, was in critical condition in the hospital and she needed my help. And I didn’t pick up.

“My thought process in that moment was, ‘I need to drink a half a bottle of tequila right now so I can go to sleep so I can wake up so I can pick up this phone’… It was like a badly written moment in a soap opera - complete with the walk into the bathroom and looking at myself in the mirror.”

And Rob, 57, also admitted he’s still working on himself to this day, and whilst the process hasn’t gotten “easier”, he does feel more fulfilled.

He added: “All of my understanding about life has come from getting sober and being in recovery. The work that you do once you stop whatever it is you’ve been abusing - that’s when the real work begins. And that continues to this day. In many ways, it doesn’t get any easier but it does get more fulfilling.

“The only way to stay in recovery is to be honest with yourself on a minute-by-minute basis. No secrets, no double life. And you have to get real. That’s what acting is all about - being real and being honest. The longer you are in recovery the more facile you are in getting honest. It really helps get you where you need to be [as an actor] a lot quicker.”