Rob Delaney shares moving message celebrating 17 years of sobriety: 'This has been a brutal year'

He said his sobriety allowed him to 'grieve fully'

Rob Delaney opens up about 17 years of sobriety (Getty)

Rob Delaney has acknowledged his 17 years of sobriety with a celebratory message on social media, where he reflects on grief and love.

The 42-year-old actor, who lost his two-year-old son in January 2018 from brain cancer, began his message by recalling a time 17 years ago when he was in a wheelchair in jail.

“17 years ago I was in jail in a wheelchair. Today I’m not,” the comedian wrote. “I’m profoundly grateful to the alcoholics who shined a light on the path for me and helped equip me with the skills to live life well.”

Delaney then recognised the ways his sobriety helped him through the “brutal” year.

In addition to allowing him to be a better father and husband, staying sober helped him grieve the loss of his son Henry “fully.”

“Had I not been sober it would have been far worse,” he wrote. “Sobriety allowed me to a be a reasonably good dad, husband and worker through it all.

“Sobriety allows me to grieve fully, and grief is an expression of love.”

On Twitter, where his post has been liked more than 22,000 times, people congratulated the Catastrophe actor on the milestone and praised him for his dedication.

“Sending endless love, Rob. You’re an inspiration,” one person wrote.

Another said: “Thanks for your sobriety and bringing us joy, even in your most difficult times.”

The actor has previously discussed the pain that came with the loss of his son Henry in an effort to “destigmatise grief.”

Eight months after Henry passed, Delaney published an essay on Medium where he described what it was like being a parent to a terminally ill child. The essay was meant to be part of a book for "fellow parents of very sick children" but ended when Delaney and his family realised Henry only had months to live.

The actor has also used social media as an outlet for his grief.

“My family is sad & in pain because our beautiful two-year-old boy died after a long illness. Why wouldn’t we be sad? Why wouldn’t we be angry and confused?” he recently wrote on Twitter.