AceShowbiz - Rob Lowe has credited his 1989 sex tape scandal for sparking his sobriety - because the drama made the him realize his life was spiraling out of control. The actor hit the headlines after a sexual encounter with a 16-year-old was caught on tape, and he immediately feared his career as a Hollywood golden boy was over.

But not everything that came out of the scandal was bad - it made him seek help to get sober. Speaking about the sex tape drama on Thursday's, April 28, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in America, the St. Elmo's Fire star said, "What it ends up doing is accelerating my alcohol stuff to where I finally get sober and I've been able to have the rest of my life that I'm so blessed with, which is now 20 years of sobriety. I don't think any of it happens without that."

The shame drove Lowe into rehab and he admits he loved every minute of his treatment: "I loved it; it was like going to college to get sober. First of all, I was always a pleasure to have in class, which was why people hated me in school. I was, like, the guy always in the front row, raising his hand like a big nerd."

"I was loving the ammunition I was getting to live my life and understanding things about myself that I never ever understood before. Rehab is a serious business for serious people. It's not a place you go to get good publicity or escape the law or to rehabilitate your career, which unfortunately is what it's become."