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 opens up about his decision to get sober 34 years ago.

In his People In the cover story, the actor said it was a “step-by-step decision” for him after doing a lot of self-reflection over time.

The 60-year-old Unstable star described the small steps that led to the “final wake-up call” that convinced him to check into rehab in 1990.

“Getting sober was a step-by-step decision,” he told the outlet in the interview published 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, stressed, “You can’t do it until you’re really ready.”

Before taking his first steps in treatment and recovery in May 1990, he cited several catalysts.

One of his “baby steps” was watching Warren Beatty, whom he called one of his “heroes,” in Shampoo.

“It’s a great movie, but at the end he’s this bon vivant, charming playboy who’s left empty-handed,” Lowe explained of the screen icon’s role in the 1975 romantic comedy.

‘It affected me deeply and [was] the first glimpse of your conscience, your fate [and] God said, ‘Psst, watch this.’

He also indicated that the infamous sex scandal in 1988 took the turn in his life.

He said he was shocked when a sex video leaked showing him having sex with two people.

A former member of The Outsiders said the aftermath “absolutely changed my life at the time.”

“Looking back, I realized it was another step that led me to recovery and helped me reevaluate my life,” he continued.

The actor recalled that it was a “step-by-step decision” for him, after doing a lot of self-reflection over time; seen in February 1990

The 60-year-old Unstable star opened up about the small steps that led to the “final wake-up call” that convinced him to check into rehab in 1990; seen last year

“But what really changed me was not being there for my family and myself anymore,” he added.

He said the low point came two years later, when he didn’t answer his mother’s phone when his grandfather had a heart attack.

‘I can still remember it like it was yesterday: my mother told me [on the answering machine] “Pick it up, pick it up, because my grandpa had had a heart attack,” he recalled.

“I couldn’t deal with it in the state I was in. I had to go to sleep to wake up so I could deal with it,” Lowe continued, adding that he specifically reached for tequila afterward.

“Who doesn’t have a bottle of Cuervo Gold on their nightstand? That was the ultimate wake-up call,” he said. “I’ve been sober ever since.”

Lowe also recalls that when he arrived at rehab, he felt “so ready” to transform his life of drug abuse into a healthier one.

“It was a relief and scary at the same time,” he admitted before opening up about his time in rehab and his road to sobriety.

“I learned the tools to change your life if you have the self-honesty to do it,” he said. “I thought, ‘Oh, OK, I’m not alone. I’m not crazy.’

“I had no doubts,” he continued, noting that he was determined to get and stay sober for good. “I didn’t think, well, maybe I’ll stay sober for a while.

“I always tell people, ‘You can’t get sober — I don’t care if it’s fentanyl, booze, drugs, coke, weed, gambling, overeating, sex addiction, whatever — you can’t quit for your job, your wife, your family, your probation officer, because you messed something up.

“You don’t stop until you’re ready. Period.”