Robert Downey Jr praises son Indio for remaining sober

MANILA, Philippines – Robert Downey Jr took to Facebook to proudly proclaim his 22-year-old son Indio’s latest achievements: successfully completing a drug diversion program and releasing new music with his band The Dose.

Indio is Robert’s son with actress and singer Deborah Falconer. The Iron Man star wrote, “Congrats are in order for my firstborn, and I’m proud to oblige.”

Robert added, “Having braved the crucible of addiction (and pleased the court), his ongoing commitment to recovery continues to inspire and amaze.”

Indio was arrested in June 2014 after being caught in possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia. He was admitted to an 18-month drug diversion program – plus 2 months of treatment – after pleading guilty to a felony charge of cocaine possession.

On March 8, a Los Angeles court dismissed his conviction upon completing the program.

“Your honor, I would like to say I am truly grateful for the experience I have had over the past 20 months in recovery,” Indio told the judge, as quoted by ET. “I’ve gained so much. I’m so blessed to have my life back. I hope to be an inspiration to others in the future.”

The elder Downey also personally struggled with addiction, and was arrested several times for this from 1996 until 2001, when he finally got sober.

His appearance in films like Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes, and the Avengers movies has been hailed by some observers as his comeback.

Robert previously told E! News after Indio’s arrest, “Unfortunately, there’s a genetic component to addiction and Indio has likely inherited it. Also, there is a lot of family support and understanding, and we’re all determined to rally behind him and help him become the man he’s capable of being.”

He continued to heap praises on his son in his Facebook post, even promoting new music from The Dose, in which Indio does vocals and plays the guitar.

“As long as we can remember, Indio has been a musician at heart,” Robert wrote. “In the last several years, with his band mate Ralph Alexander, I’ve witnessed their dedication, consistency, and determination to grow as artists.”

“I’ve also made it my business to be of as little help as possible, as nepotism usually does more harm than good… Just for today, I’m gonna ease up on that,” he added, posting a music video for The Dose’s new single, “Cold Hands.”

Ralph & Indio are my favorite new band. Check out @the_dose_band‘s new single #ColdHands: https://t.co/ztVbdQrz5Ohttps://t.co/nEwAMHEigm

— Robert Downey Jr (@RobertDowneyJr) March 11, 2016

Robert is set to appear in the latest Marvel movie, Captain America: Civil War, which hits Philippines cinemas on April 27. – Rappler.com