Rob Lowe Credits Steven Tyler as a Mentor in His Journey to Sobriety

Sober for over 30 years, Rob Lowe is a recovery role model for many who are struggling with addiction. Though Lowe also found role models in famous figures—including the legendary Steven Tyler.

The lead singer of Aerosmith, who has struggled with addiction over the years, served as an inspiration to Lowe as a young man. Today, Lowe still remembers Tyler’s support, and is speaking out about the courage he discovered in hearing Tyler’s story.

“I came home when I was probably sober two or three weeks and I got a call from Steven Tyler, who I did not know. He called to say ‘I heard you are in recovery and I just wanted to say hey, I’m thinking of you dude.’ If it’s good enough for f—ing Steven Tyler, it’s good enough for me,” Lowe stated during a recent press tour for the Television Critics Association.

Lowe recalled in the same interview that he had been nervous, as a young adult, that he would feel “uncool” without drugs and alcohol in his life. He decided that his fun might be over—until Tyler reached out.

The unlikely friendship is one that made an impact on Lowe and his sobriety, and the pair shared a great deal in common through their respective struggles.

Steven Tyler’s Journey to Sobriety

Not long before Lowe found sobriety, Tyler walked along a similar path. At the height of his success with Aerosmith, Tyler’s substance abuse had spiraled out of control.

In an interview with GQ, Tyler stated of his drug use that, “I couldn’t do enough. I couldn’t get high enough.” His drug of choice ranged from cocaine, to heroin, to methamphetamine and LSD.

In the 1980s, as Aerosmith dominated the Billboard charts and appeared on every TV screen, all members of the band used substances to fuel their creative process, believing that the substances caused them to produce better work and to perform with more intensity.

He reflected on this to GQ, stating that, “What happens with using is, it works in the beginning, but it doesn’t work in the end. It takes you down. There’s nothing but jail, insanity or death.”

In 1988, Tyler reached rock bottom, and soon faced an intervention that he would later credit for his lasting sobriety. While Tyler went to rehab and initially achieved sobriety, he relapsed several times over the next several years.

Today, at 71, he has been continuously sober for nine years.

Tyler has remained open about his journey, which affected his marriages, and his role as a father to four children. He realizes the magnitude of what he survived, and acknowledged that had he persisted with his substance abuse, he “would be dead by now.”

Inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Aerosmith in 2001, Tyler’s lasting legacy of musical talent will be talked about for ages to come, in addition to his storied commitment to finding sobriety.

Rob Lowe’s Commitment to Health, Wellness, and Advocacy

As Tyler struggled, so did Rob Lowe.

The actor, who found fame at a young age, was swept into a world where he abused drugs and alcohol for many years. In 1990, Lowe officially began his recovery, and has remained sober ever since—but not without the support of many others who were also in the fight for recovery.

Lowe also recently acknowledge the inspiration he found in fellow actress Demi Moore, as well as the encouragement he received from Tyler. Thirty years later, Lowe still remembers those who were there for him when he needed it most—and those from whom he learned sobriety was not only possible—but within reach.