Nate Jone/PacificCoastNews.comAs Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino can attest, overcoming an addition is often difficult, but not impossible. Speaking to the Associated Press on Monday, Sept. 9, the former Jersey Shore star opened up about his 2012 stint in rehab and cleared up rumors about his alleged alcohol abuse.
Sitch, who sought treatment for a prescription pill addiction, denied combining the drugs with booze. "Those rumors were definitely false," the ex-MTV reality star said. "I didn't mix anything."
Sorrentino realized he had a problem after his prescription ran out during a trip to Australia in February 2012; he'd been taking painkillers ever since he suffered an injury during Dancing With the Stars in 2010.
"All I had to do was get dressed for a family function and I couldn't do that," he explained. "The shirt was laid out, the belt, the pants, everything. The shower was on. I couldn't even get out of bed," he recalled. Then, he wondered, "'If I can't do that, how am I going to continue?'"
The 32-year-old decided to seek treatment for opioid addiction at Cirque Lodge in Utah. While there, he was put on another medication that he continues to take daily. He also sees a counselor regularly. Looking back, Sorrentino admitted, "I was suffering a disease."
After completing rehab in the spring of 2012, Sorrentino had to film the sixth and final season of Jersey Shore. "A little part of me was like, `How am I gonna get through this?' but if you watched, I didn't have one drink," he said.
Sorrentino hopes that his recovery can inspire others to face their own demons. "The roller coaster of fame and fortune is definitely a ride in itself, but to get to recovery is something special," he said. "There is hope out there and you can get help."
(Originally published Sept. 10, 2013, at 7:51 a.m. PT)