Rob Lowe surprises his son with a five-year sobriety chip: 'I'm proud of you, buddy'

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By Asiya Ali

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Rob Lowe has presented his son John Owen Lowe with a five-year sobriety chip on the latest episode of The Drew Barrymore Show.

The 59-year-old father and his 28-year-old son - who both star in the new Netflix series, Unstable - bonded over their respective sobriety journeys on the talk show.

The 48-year-old host applauded the duo for how much they've "supported each other through amazing things" as a family, before sharing how honest and open she is with her own children about her past battles with alcohol abuse.

"I've been really honest with my kids who are younger, but they know my story, they know I can't drink, it's not for me, it doesn't work for me," she said. "They know my pitfalls and you guys are an incredible family unit that supports each other through every high and low."

Watch their interview below:

The elder Lowe agreed that they do the same, and said that they are "able to share recovery" details with one another, revealing: "I have 33 years in recovery," as the audience clapped.

He continued: "Johnny's got five years in, and in fact, Johnny's five-year birthday was on Saturday, and, Johnny, I want to give you your five-year chip."

The 9-1-1 Lone Star actor then brought out the chip and presented it to John Owen, heartwarmingly telling him: "I love you, I'm proud of you, buddy."

The son was definitely surprised by the lovely gesture and embraced his dad before saying: "That's so sweet. Speechless. I usually have a witty retort, I don't have one for that. That was very nice of you."

Rob has been candid about his struggle with alcohol and substance abuse, which occurred after his Hollywood breakout in the 1980s with films such as St. Elmo's Fire and The Outsiders.

In a joint interview for Men's Health, his son revealed that he had "many times" where he could have tragically passed away due to addiction, admitting: "I really liked to push the limits of my body and numb out as much as I could."

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Rob Lowe and his son John Owen Lowe. Credit: Sipa US / Alamy

"There's a certain level of self-doubt or uncomfortability with one's self. The more insecure I grew, the more aggressively I used — to medicate. I've been to many hospitals many times. I've been very lucky," he said.

He also expressed gratitude to his parents for helping him, saying: "When I was at my lowest points, my parents were throwing their lifeline of recovery at me in a way that I was like, 'Ahhh, get away!' It’s abrasive.

"It’s like I was drowning and they were slamming me on the head with the life raft. Because my feelings were that I didn’t matter, and a lot of that stemmed from having the dad that I had," he explained.

"Once I was treated as if my voice and opinion were valid, I was able to access a part of me that was scared and hiding. Finally, the thing that worked was when they said, 'We love you and we're scared,'" he concluded.

In addition to this, the Holiday in the Wild actor opened up to People last year that his famous dad supported him while he was getting sober: "On the most personal level possible, when I was struggling with addiction, he was always there for me.

"I credit that with being one, if not the main, reason that I’m sober and living a healthy lifestyle," the grateful son continued, adding, "He never gave up on me."

The pair's Netflix new show, Unstable, is streaming now.

Featured image credit: Sipa US / Alamy